


Konoha is an Interesting Place: Chino's Story

by Noble_SOUL



Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Comedy, Drama, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Inappropriate Humor, M/M, Missions, Moving Out, Multiple Pairings, Mystery, Ninja, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Relationship Issues, Sexual Humor, Strong Female Characters, Team Dynamics, Wordcount: 30.000-50.000, Wordcount: Over 10.000
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-02-23 09:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 73,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2542985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noble_SOUL/pseuds/Noble_SOUL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lady Tsunade decides she needs more ANBU back at Konoha to help protect village. A female ANBU from the associated Hidden Village of Amazons is one of those chosen, due her useful kekkei genkai and ties to the Senju clan. The Rookie 9 & Team Gai soon discover Amazon kunoichi are nothing like Konoha's in terms of power (as in Tsunade-like strong) and personality (quirky, enigmatic, overdramtic, brash, & quick witted) .<br/>Chino is an unconventional and at times mysterious ANBU with a ninja hawk partner, Taka. The longer Chino stays in Konoha the more interesting and hilarious the situations become and mysteries surrounding Konoha's sister village, the Village of Amazons, are revealed.</p>
<p>Excerpt: (when Chino decides her first act in Konoha is to play pranks on as many ninja as possible)</p>
<p>"Just think about it. We'll be showing Lady Tsunade how good we are. If we can manage to get past an entire village of shinobi, while messing with them, without getting caught by the time we reach the Hokage's office she'll be impressed with how skilled we are. Just consider it a strange form of 'training' for everyone."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Konoha's Request

**Author's Note:**

> Rated T for various moments of implied yaoi situations, mild language, sexual innuendo, and Rinku's perviness.
> 
> Author's Note: This first chapter is short and only references two canon Naruto characters. Characters from the actual show don't really appear until Chapter two. I'm considering this an AU because the Amazon Village doesn't exist in the anime so the 'historical ties' to Konoha are also fictional, the Akatsuki won't appear until well after they would have in the cannon timeline, and some characters who should be dead probably won't die. For a time reference this would start where Naruto Shippuden begins but about 6 months after Naruto has returned to Konoha. The canon characters will have a mix of their personalities from Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.
> 
> Just about every major character in the Naruto show will be involved in this story to varying degrees. Besides the original characters Neji, Shino, and Tsunade play major roles in the story especially as the original characters pair off.
> 
> Anyone mostly interested in actual Naruto characters start reading at Chapter 2 and skip the DEPARTURE section of Chapter 3.  
> The way the story is written it will still make sense without them. However, you'll miss some humorous moments between the original characters that will show up again later in the story.
> 
> Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Naruto or any of the characters. I do try to keep them close to their actual personalities in the anime for the most part. Never read the manga. I'm taking creative license with how Shino and Neji would act in love as there isn't any reference for how they would act in that type of situation.  
> Team 17 original characters are partly mine, partly my friend's (she uses the pen name Arabella Cauwell on another site. I'm going to try to get her to post it here too). Other original characters I created will also be introduced later on.

In the Land of Fire, Konohagakure has become a very famous shinobi village, founded by the equally famous leaders of the Senju and Uchiha clans. What many people do not know however, is that the village of Konohagakure was not the only shinobi village founded by the Senju leader, later known as the first Hokage. This second village became known as the village of Amazons due to the high number of strong kunoichi that called the village their home.

For the most part, this was mainly a truly "hidden village" as most people did not know where it was or had ever heard of it before, despite its close ties with Konoha. Many of the Amazon village shinobi worked exclusively on top secret missions or joined the ANBU Black Ops (where no one is meant to know who you really are), which greatly helped to hide the identity and location of the village. Of course those in charge of Konoha, including the current Hokage Tsunade, knew all about the village of the Amazons and how to get in contact with the shinobi there. That is how this particular story starts: Lady Tsunade, as the Hokage of Konoha, has called upon the village of the Amazons to send one of their ANBU to Konoha for assistance with a new mission.

Enter Chino, a nonconventional ANBU who grew up with Lady Tsunade's nieces, the village of Amazons' Senju Sisters, Raiku and Rinku. These sisters together with former ANBU member Miku make up Team 17 of the village of Amazons. Currently they are making a scene out of said ANBU being dispatched to Konoha for an unconfirmed amount of time, to a village they have never been to (personally), and know about only through stories and reports from fellow Amazon shinobi and Lady Tsunade. Now Chino has worked with Konoha ANBU and shinobi before so she is having trouble understanding what the fuss over her going to Konoha is all about. Her lack of seeing a problem is only adding to the situation as their "discussion" became a disturbance, leading several village council members asking the group to "Take this to the forest out of the way".

The leader of Team 17 was the most upset over the "situation" and also the least understanding. "Chino you can't go…" Raiku practically whined. "I won't allow this" she huffed. "What is the council thinking? FIRST they won't let you join our team, THEN they force you into joining the ANBU, NOW they are sending you on missions with people we don't know, for who knows how long, AND worst of all most of the shinobi in that village are men. MEN, Chino who look down on kunoichi as weak and useful only as medical nin!" (Raiku screamed that last part.)  
Now Raiku's rant was giving all around her a headache as the further she got into her rant the more passionate Raiku's speech became and escalated from speaking to exasperated yelling. It was very overdramatic to say the least.

Chino didn't find all of Raiku's rant to be100% accurate and felt the need to point that out. "First off I would like to remind you I wasn't forced into ANBU. All Kusannagi clan members either join ANBU or do something like stay at the compound to raise the nin birds. You've known that for years Raiku-sama. Second, I don't remember you being this…," Chino hesitated not wanting to choose words that would set the Senju off into another, possibly more long winded rant, "uhh moved (?) the last time I went to work with the Konoha shinobi or any other time before that come to think of it. Besides it's not like I have a choice. I'm an ANBU, we have to follow orders, (even useless ones Chino thought) regardless of how you follow them," Chino smiled.  
She had a habit of applying her own interpretations to mission orders. "We take whatever missions we are given" she continued, "and how can you complain about a request that was made by the Hokage your own Aunt?"  
Chino knew there was NO way Raiku wouldn't have a response for that last bit of reasoning, but she hoped that keeping her own part in this "discussion" as devoid of emotion as possible would calm the Senju at least a little. For the beginning of her response at least, Raiku was somewhat calmer.

"I don't see what Aunt Tsunade has to do with this Chino."  
Raiku's over pronunciation and emphasis on the Hokage's and her name was never a good sign Chino thought. Then Chino sighed, this is going to be a long speech after all. "Just because you're in ANBU doesn't mean they can make unreasonable requests …  
"Just because YOU don't know when she's coming back and who she's working with doesn't make it unreasonable Nii-san", Rinku interrupted her sister teasingly. 

"RINKU!" Raiku threatened not liking being interrupted so rudely.  
"I don't think referring to Raiku-sama as your brother is helping the situation Rinku-san. You know she doesn't like it when you don't use Nee-san," the usually quiet and calm former ANBU stated.

Normally Miku didn't like getting between the two sisters but, she wanted this "discussion" to be over with before it became a fight. Usually ANBU like Chino, and before she became part of Team 17, Miku herself got stuck cleaning up and covering up any and all damage the sisters left behind after one of their fights. Not exactly an easy task you can be sure of that. Miku wanted to diffuse the situation in order to spare her former ANBU comrades the trouble and, for now, her efforts seemed to be working.

"Thank you Miku. Now as I was saying before someone had to point out something that obviously is NOT the problem here …." Raiku started still annoyed.  
"She still isn't really over Jun leaving Team 17 is she?" Chino asked.  
"Apparently not, though she won't admit it. For as strong as she is I think she fears people leaving her for good" Miku answered quietly.  
"She should be happy. They are definitely better off with you."  
"Thanks Chino, but there are times I miss being an ANBU."  
At that Chino smiled. "Of course you do. Who wouldn't miss sanity and a lack of chaos?"  
Miku tried not to laugh at the sarcasm, especially with Raiku staring at them daring them to continue. 

While trying to ignore the side conversations and Rinku's attempts at further comments, Raiku continued. "We still do not personally know much about these Konoha shinobi except what we can get from rather discouraging stories. Also, I did not have any problems with any of the Konoha shinobi you worked with before because those ones in particular, well most of them anyway, I had not heard too much about them that I could find objectionable." 

"'Cuz except for the Aburame or Inuzuka boy they were mainly women!" Rinku exclaimed excitedly.  
"Which is why they are acceptable Rinku. It is always more preferable to work with other kunoichi instead of useless men" Raiku finished satisfied for the moment.


	2. Memories and Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> References to interactions with Team 8, Hana, Anko, Shizune, and the Sand siblings appear near the end of the chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Most of this chapter does not involve cannon characters. More of the cannon characters will start appearing by the middle of the next chapter which in turn means there will be less of Team 17 from then on until Chapter 10 although they will be referenced occasionally from here until then.

The more Chino thought about it the more she had to admit that Rinku had a point. She really had been working mainly with the kunoichi of Konoha, as far as Raiku knew that was. This made her start to wonder if her long time nin hawk partner Taka was right in informing her that he believed the council of the Amazons had done this on purpose to keep Raiku from causing trouble. More than likely he was right. The very last mission she was sent on for Konoha she was supposed to work with an Aburame clan member (which was a strange request given the Kusannagi clan to which Chino belonged were bird handlers). Together, somehow, they would search for a shinobi who had stolen a seemingly important object belonging to a client who was, in Chino's mind, part of a less than important noble house from it doesn't really matter where.

Now the original Aburame clan member assigned to the mission was a kunoichi but she had taken ill so her cousin had taken her place. The replacement was a male around Chino's age but was painfully quiet much to her disapproval. So much so in fact that she didn't really remember him saying much aside from his name. She wasn't happy with the lack of talking situation. Normally the shinobi of Konoha tended not to follow along the ANBU's talk as little as possible during missions way of thinking that Chino despised. Instead Chino ended up talking to her hawk Taka using bird languages hoping to annoy the boy into speaking. It didn't really work. Chino "neglected" to inform Raiku about the switch, but considering the boy didn't really do ANYTHING that wasn't mission related she didn't think it would matter to Raiku, IF she ever found out.

After that particular mission was over, Chino found out that the Aburame boy she had just been working with actually was the same one whose place she took on a previous mission with Team 8. They had needed another shinobi with tracking specialties for their mission while the Aburame was off on his own mission with his father. Since the boy was so quiet she only guessed it was the same Shino Aburame that his teammate Hinata had introduced her to when they got back from their mission. Not that Chino had been paying that close attention since she was leaving soon and the situation was getting awkward. The boy was complaining about not being included in that mission and was obviously upset about the whole thing. The fact that he was staring at his replacement wasn't helping matters.

While working together he never brought up the incident, even though Chino was sure he knew it was the same person. He would have had to have known it was the same person. Aburames all pretty much dress the same and hide their faces behind their coats and sunglasses but Chino, unlike other ANBU, didn't always wear the ANBU uniform. Not that it mattered if she did since Chino insisted on wearing a very nonstandard issue ANBU rooster mask with green and brown paint she had done herself. No one else in ANBU had a mask like that mainly because no one was that bold to do something to deliberately stand out. (Which was a joke considering the bright white and paint ANBU masks stand out anywhere but a graffiti covered snowfield.) ANBU aren't supposed to stand out, but Chino was allowed certain privileges due to her family's influence and her close association with the Senju sisters. They were the closest thing to royalty in the ninja world after all.

During the mission there were times that Shino stared at her but Chino took it as a way of acknowledging her without having to speak. He might also have still felt awkward around her and Chino didn't feel like causing problems. The mission was short since the ninja they were trailing couldn't hide from the combination of Shino's bugs and Chino's kekkei genkai ability to see through the eyes of every bird in the area (within a given range).

Only for a moment did Chino feel there could have been a problem that might affect their performance on the mission. Bugs that belonged to Shino had gotten on Chino, not that she really minded. Birds ate bugs so she was accustomed to being near them. Her problem was simple: The bugs were annoying but she didn't want to make a big deal out of it. The solution: She had her nin hawk Taka eat them. Trying to be discreet she tried to call Taka when Shino wasn't looking, but Taka was too energetic not for him to notice. He never said anything. At that point Chino decided to take off her ANBU mask. She didn't see the point of keeping it on anymore. If Shino didn't yell at her after that Chino felt he wouldn't ever tell anyone he saw her face. He didn't seem to talk much anyway so who was he going to tell?

When she took off her mask (which temporarily distressed Taka not wanting her to get in trouble later) Chino thought she noticed a slight change in his behavior. Then she decided it was only because she wanted to have seen some kind of change in Shino to make sure he really was human and not a mass of bugs trying to pretend it was. This idea came to her after seeing Shino's bug clone jutsu and at a point where the not talking thing was really bugging her. Shino never reported her. Instead he later confessed that he took it as a sign that Chino really trusted him. Well that explains why he was more cooperative from that point on Chino had thought. There was no way she was going to tell him that wasn't the case.

While Chino was thinking about her mission with the bug boy; Raiku had noticed that Chino wasn't exactly paying attention to what she was saying. This didn't surprise Raiku in the least. Everyone in the village of Amazons pretty much agreed that Chino had some form of (possibly selective) ADD so there wasn't a reason for Raiku to get too mad. Many of the Kusannagi clan members were considered flighty for a reason.

"Chino are you still listening to me over there? Hey bird girl over here I'm not done yet!" Raiku snapped. Raiku's yelling snapped Chino out of her thoughts and temporarily regained her focus. "As I was saying," Raiku continued, "not only will you have to work with unknown possibly untrustworthy shinobi, you have no idea exactly what your mission is since Aunt Tsunade said you would get the details when you arrive. What if it's really dangerous? What if you get captured and those Men leave you behind because you're not from their village?"

"Raiku-sama I appreciate the concern but I can handle myself. I have gone on solo missions before…" Chino exclaimed only to be interrupted by Rinku. "You have Taka. I don't exactly call that solo…"

"I think Chino-san was referring to not having any other shinobi to back her up. You know her clan thinks of their birds as practically parts of themselves, or like living weapons" Miku pointed out as Rinku was mid thought. From the mischievous look on her face Chino was quick to cut off her next sentence. "If you turn Miku's comment into anything dirty I'll…" "Whatever I was just teasing. Way to kill my fun Chino" Rinku commented flatly.

"Thank you for pointing out something unnecessary, not that your unnecessary Taka, you know what I meant." Chino had to pause to comfort the agitated hawk before continuing, "You know as well as I do that although I do things my own way I'm capable of getting through tough situations. I'm a Jonin same as you and you two are practically at Sanin level. If I can survive sparing with you two sisters and getting involved in your fights, especially against Akatsuki members and Rinku's insane collecting people as pets fetish…"

"HEY!" Rinku yelled cutting in, "that's not fair Chino! You know Nii-san won't let me keep…"You CAN'T have Akatsuki members for pets and that's FINAL! You hear me AB-SO-LUTE-LY FINAL!" Raiku roared over her sister. Poor Miku, trying to get a word in replied  
"Calm down and please let Chino-san finish. With all this interrupting we're getting nowhere."

"Thank you Miku. At least I can count on someone to be understanding". Raiku started to make like she was going to interrupt Chino again but Rinku covered her mouth and whispered something obviously suggestive or inappropriate because Raiku was shocked into silence. "I will be going on this mission. I actually enjoy working with Konoha shinobi, and at least I get to have some fun. (glaring at Rinku who looked like she wanted to give an example of what kind of fun) ANBU is just too depressing sometimes just ask Miku, and you know how much I don't like having to follow all their rules and regulations…"

"We've noticed" Team 17 said in unison.

"OK. Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. Anyway, the only thing that can get me off this mission right now is a direct order from your Aunt, which isn't going to happen," Chino reminded the team. "Would it make you feel better Raiku-sama if I send you a message as soon as I get there with mission details and who I'm working with?" Chino promised almost sarcastically.

"Fine but if you need backup or want to come home you contact me immediately" Raiku nearly threatened. "Yes Raiku-sama. I'll even give you weekly updates if necessary, even if I have to commandeer local birds and ninja messenger hawks to do so" Chino claimed rather unenthusiastically.  
"Good I expect it" Raiku proclaimed proudly.

With that settled Chino offered to go to dinner with Team 17 that night before she had to leave on her mission to Konoha. She honestly could not wait to go there and find out who she gets to work with this time. Before Shino and the members of Kurenai sensei's Team 8, Chino had also worked with Anko Mitarashi and Shizune (a very strange team but somehow it worked). Then, there was the mission with Yugao Uzuki and later another one with Hana Inuzuka. She was surprisingly nothing like her brother Kiba or her mother. Not surprisingly, Hana was the only kunoichi Raiku did have a bit of a problem with even though she had not met her. Something along the lines of "why do you have to work with those Inuzuka dogs" was her complaint. Raiku hates dogs. If you knew her you would understand. She always has been more of a cat person.

One time Chino even got to work as an ambassador to Sunagakure in order to assist the Kazekage's siblings Temari and Kankuro. That was a fun mission, between Temari and Chino's double team teasing of Kankuro and his puppets, watching strong shinobi tremble in fear from being in close proximity to the powerful kunoichi, and trying to get Gaara to smile (which nearly gave the sand council members panic/heart attacks), it was some of the most fun Chino had ever had since she joined the ANBU and became a Jonin. Now wasn't the time to think about Suna Chino decided. As of tomorrow morning, Chino, along with Taka, was on her way once again to the interesting shinobi village of Konoha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I forgot to mention it earlier but Chino and Raiku are meant to be a year or two older then Neji was at the start of Shippuden.  
> Miku is closer to Sakura's age and Rinku is 2 or 3 years younger then Miku.


	3. Departure and Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like in the last chapter the regular Naruto characters do not appear until the end of the chapter since Chino needs to get to Konoha in order to interact with them. You'll see this chapter is also broken up into two sections.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Making appearances in this chapter: Izumo, Kotetsu, Raido, Aoba, Genma, Tsunade, & Shizune. Shino won't be involved again until Chapter 6 since she doesn't meet him until her second day in Konoha. Chapters 3 & 4 are about her first day in Konoha and Chapters 5, 6, & 7 are about the second.

Part 1: Departure

Just after sunrise Chino awoke to the sounds of her family's birds calling for their breakfast (mostly because they were so loud). While lying in bed she listened to the birds and picked out the calls of each of the different types by species. Then she tried to identify particular calls by the name of the bird to which it belonged. It will be some time before I can do that again Chino thought. Oh well. At least it should be quieter where I'm going. Maybe I can actually sleep past sunrise for once. Chino liked to sleep late but between the birds at home and ANBU insisting they get up at dawn while on missions, she rarely got the chance.

"Alright Taka, time to go. Let's go say goodbye to your noisy friends and I'm sure at least mom is looking to see us off." Taka shook out his feathers sleepily and flew over to where Chino was getting ready. As she grabbed her bag to head down to the dining area Taka landed on her shoulder. "Hey sleepy bird you're heavy" Chino teased poking the half awake hawk. "You better wake up once you've had something to eat 'cuz I'm not carrying you all the way to Konoha."

Chino's mom was waiting for her at the table with breakfast for the pair. Along with breakfast, on the table there was also an unusually shaped package with a bundle of letters tied on top. "I'm somewhat afraid to ask but….What is that weird shaped box for?" Chino questioned her mother.

"It's a package for the Hokage and some documents and letters I need you to deliver while you're in Konoha. On each letter you'll see the name of the one it goes to. I'm sure you'll find some way to locate where these people live. As always the majority of it goes to the Hyuga compound. You met Hinata-san one of the last times you were there yes?"

"Not that I'm complaining Okaa-san but isn't Misaki-san the Hyuga's liaison to the information network? Why do I have to bring them?" "He is busy on an assignment for one of the Hyuga elders and won't be available to come for them, so you'll do," was her mother's response. Chino's mother's owl was nodding in agreement with the statement as if it needed her approval as well. "You'll do? Are you implying you can't trust me with this?" Chino teased. "Of course we trust you," Chino's mom replied with her owl once again nodding as if to back her up. "Just make sure to be careful with the box. *pauses while turning away* It's rigged to blow up if tampered with."

Chino stared at her mother in disbelief. "Seriously? Seems a bit extreme to me. This thing something important?" Chino pointed in the direction of the box while Taka carefully poked at it with its wing, obviously fascinated. Now he's awake, Chino thought. Only took a little threat of possible danger. "Taka don't touch that, just in case" Chino warned her hawk. She still wasn't sure if her mother was serious. It wouldn't surprise her if it really was going to blow up in their faces since her mom did strange things like this all the time.

"Maybe it is a bit extreme for a present." She waved the thought away as if it was nonsense before continuing. "Nothing wrong with being over cautious. Don't worry it's nothing serious. Just enough to blind and deafen you temporarily, and singe your hair, clothes, body, feathers…." Then she added as if it was an afterthought…. "Oh and cover you in very hard to wash off ink." Her mother's face showed she was quite pleased with herself for making such a trap.

"If that's the case I'm storing the thing and the papers in different scrolls" Chino claimed. She was not too happy to have to carry something so ridiculous in the first place. Taka voiced his approval not wanting to be with the "package" anymore.

"Motoko! Did *Eyas-chan* leave yet?" Chino's father screamed from somewhere in the house. "She's still here," her mother called back from the doorway. "No, no this way! Toward the kitchen." Chino's mother waved toward the pair approaching near the kitchen. "Sorry he has such a bad sense of direction in the morning," Chino heard her father say as he tried to redirect his falcon toward where the rest of the family already was. "Only in the morning huh? How DO you two function as a team and please stop calling me by that nickname I'm not a baby anymore."

"We take the scenic route" was her father's response. Translation: bird gets lost and you guide him back Chino thought. "Anyway, you're still my little girl and there was a reason I came down…. Sorry distracted for a moment. *pause* Now I remember! I wanted to give you a present before you left."

Chino looked right at her father and said "Is this going to blow up too?" "Blow up? No. Did you want it to blow up? Is that what people do now?" Her father looked very serious and confused at the same time while waiting for an answer. "No just joking" Chino replied with a smirk as her mother giggled behind him. "I have the feeling I'm missing something, do you?" The poor falcon shook its head uninterested in its master's embarrassment.

I can't believe this is the same man who is an ANBU captain that's earned respect by being a deadly shinobi, Chino wondered while staring at the box before her. Then again people say I'm as scary as he is when I take missions seriously. "Thanks Otou-san. I'll open it when I get there." "There? Why not here?" her father asked trying to sound like a little child with a pout on his face. "I'm late. We need to go now, right Taka?" Taka started to fly out of the room in an attempt to make it seem like it was urgent they leave. "You just don't want him to see you hide it if it's something embarrassing" her mother whispered as Chino got up, sealed the items in scrolls, and went to leave.

Glad to be on her way, Chino used a teleportation jutsu to get just past the village gate before she could run into anyone else that may detain her *cough Raiku*. One thing I won't mind waiting to see again is my mom's pranks and my dad's childish acting; even if he is a good actor.

Truthfully, Akihiko was acting (most of the time) and he really was bad with choosing presents, especially for his family. He might be kind, but on the field he could be ruthless. Her dad could make great strategies for battles and pick the right people and tools for a mission but he couldn't remember (or figure out for that matter) what his daughter and wife Motoko liked. Chino's mother Motoko loved to play little pranks and tease the villagers. Even though she was sarcastic and mischievous, Motoko knew to keep her behavior appropriate and respectful when it was expected (like around those of high rank). For all her teasing she was truly loyal and determined to carry out her orders and obligations to the best of her ability. With these two for parents it is no surprise where some aspects of Chino's personality came from.

As Chino was nearing the village of Konoha she paused to rest. "Hey Taka! How do you feel about sneaking into Konoha just for the fun of it?" Taka briefly looked up to the sky as he thought about it. After what felt like forever he looked at his partner, started to voice is opinion, and then changed his mind. He had been Chino's partner for his entire life so by this point Taka knew that really wasn't a question. It was Chino's way of telling Taka what she planned to do regardless of whether or not he agreed. Not to mention Taka could not come up with what he thought Chino would accept as a good reason why they shouldn't sneak in. Looking defeated, Taka gave up and agreed with Chino's idea.

"Good bird. Before we have to get to work we should be allowed to have some fun" Chino responded triumphantly. "Just think about it. We'll also be showing Lady Tsunade how good we are. If we can manage to get past an entire village of shinobi, while messing with them, without getting caught by the time we reach the Hokage's office she'll be impressed with how skilled we are." I don't remember initially agreeing to "messing with them" Taka thought. "Look just consider it a training exercise. It's not like this would be the strangest form of "training" we've ever done." Taka had to agree with that. Besides as long as no one gets seriously hurt and we don't get in serious trouble there shouldn't be anything wrong with having some fun.

Part 2: Arrival

"Alright! There's the gate let's get started." From the beginning Chino decided going in through the front gate was probably out, but that doesn't mean Izumo and Kotetsu were safe. It had been a ridiculously quiet day so the two gate guards had fallen asleep. Chino took this opportunity to tie the two together under a net of leaves. She then rigged a scroll filled with a substance that would become sticky when it came in contact with anything but air to be activated by strong vibrations. After that, she set a small paper bomb with a time delay in front of the booth and continued around the perimeter of the village. From a safe distance she watched the paper bomb go off and then the scroll as a result of the vibrations from the explosion. This caused Izumo and Kotetsu to wake up and fall in a tangled heap on top of the trip wire that released the net full of leaves. When this was over it just so happened that two other shinobi, Raido and Aoba, had come to take the next shift. What they discovered looked like a two-headed leaf monster struggling to get off the ground while swearing profusely.

"I wish I could be there when they tell the others what they saw on their shift change." Chino couldn't help but laugh as she said this and Taka had to admit the prank was funny. I wonder who's going to get blamed for this if we don't get caught Taka thought. "You were a great lookout. Now who do you think should be our next target Taka?" Taka looked around and the only shinobi he recognized was Genma so he pointed at him with his wing. "Good enough. You cause a distraction and I'll move in."

Taka knocked some things off a nearby window which took Genma by surprise. He never saw the hawk or the large collection of laundry that rained down on him knocking the senbon out of his mouth. In the commotion Chino took the opportunity to switch the senbon on the ground with a walking stick bug she made look like one. When Genma got untangled from the laundry, absentmindedly he picked up the senbon (bug), wiped it off and put it back in his mouth. Almost instantly, the paralysis jutsu Chino used on the bug to keep it still wore off, so within a minute it started to move. This both disgusted and freaked out poor Genma, prompting him to be reacquainted with his last meal while the bug got away. Later that day, shinobi wondered why Genma was fascinated with inspecting every senbon he saw and the reason why he didn't have one in his mouth.

"I'm beginning to act like mother aren't I?" Chino half stated to, half asked Taka. Beginning? Taka thought. I thought you already were like her. Chino didn't wait for an answer. "What difference does it make this is fun. Let's go find some more targets." Chino and Taka continued to find more targets along the way to the Hokage's office somehow without getting caught. Unfortunately for some should have been a Chunin by now ninja, most of the pranks were thought to be his fault. Therefore by Chino's standards for their little "training exercise" they did very well. Just as she arrived at the Hokage's office, Lady Tsunade was beginning to receive reports of the aftermath of Chino's prank.

Like she usually did Lady Tsunade ignored the pile of paper work so she could address the ANBU she could sense was standing outside her office window. "You arrived at an interesting time. Now why don't you come in before you become the next target of whatever is going on out there and let me explain why I sent for you." "Don't worry Lady Hokage I'm very sure I won't be a target and I'm very confident that things will calm down now." Shizune felt better when she recognized the ANBU's mask. "That's good to hear. I don't think we could handle any more extra paperwork." At that statement Chino and Taka came in through the window to stand near Shizune so she could hear what kind of mission awaited her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: *Eyas-chan* - eyas is the term for a baby hawk so essentially Akihiko is calling Chino his "little hawk"  
>  If you were interested in finding out who else was a victim of Chino's pranks you'll have to wait until chapter 4 where Chino tells a fellow ANBU (feel free to guess who) all about them and why she did it at all. You will also find out what Chino and Naruto have in common besides pranks.


	4. Pranks are "Training"!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chino pulls pranks on many of Konoha's ninjas.  
> Many characters are featured in this chapter due to how a large number of the Naruto cast ends up victims of Chino's pranks.  
> (Directly or indirectly)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *As a side note, Chino has aspects of the Trickster character archetype, hence the pranks, although this is the only major instance of this side of her personality showing through at least for the first 10 chapters. For those who are unfamiliar with the Trickster archetype these kinds of characters are free spirited and actively seek out loop holes in societal rules or norms. They are prone to mischievous or at times childish behavior even if they are centuries old. Many of their actions are purposefully or unconsciously unpredictable or mysterious. They also usually tell the truth just not the whole truth or say things in a way that leaves the meaning open to multiple interpretations. Other characters typically choose the wrong interpretation of the meaning of tricksters vague or ambiguous statements with varying results.*
> 
> Enjoy and please comment/give Kudos if you are liking the story! Any suggestions of how to make my writing more accurate to the characters' personalities would be helpful. *Especially Yamato*
> 
> Sai's personality is based mainly on his behavior from the first few episodes in which he was featured and was still clueless of how to interact with people not from ROOT. I know from that point until the Ninja War, well into Shippuden, his character changes quite a bit. I'm not entirely sure how I'll handle that since some of the canon events that contributed to his growth as a character in the anime won't happen in this story.

Lady Tsunade wasted no time getting to her point. "Now that I have your attention I'll tell you what your Mission is. The main reason you're here is because I need more capable ANBU here to protect the village. Since the recent rise in Akatsuki activity and Naruto being back in the village, the possibility of an attack has never been higher. While you're here you will probably hear about Orochimaru and Sasuke whose whereabouts are still unknown. I hate to admit it but the performances of our ANBU has been less than what I expect lately and tensions with Danzo and ROOT have started up again, so I need more ANBU I can trust near me. That's part of the reason why I requested you to be sent here over other Amazon village ANBU."

"The Kusannagi clan has shown total loyalty to the Hokage for generations as well as exceptional skill. I have looked at your file and with the exception of one questionable comment I'll address later if need be since it was an action taken under orders, I feel you are suited for this assignment. I'm especially interested in your proficiency with your clan's kekkei genkai. So basically, the first part of your mission is to remain here on standby to help protect the village and take on various tasks involved in doing so like surveillance and perimeter checks. The next part of your missions is just as important." The way Tsunade said that statement made Chino feel like she wasn't going to like this part. "I need you to assist Shizune in her duties and take over anything handled by Sakura while she's on missions."

"So I'm an assistant's assistant? Not to be rude but isn't that a bit strange…" Chino whispered to Shizune but was cut off by a "Wonderful suggestion Lady Tsunade! With extra help we should be able to catch up on paperwork finally!" from Shizune. "I'm going to ignore that comment for now unless there's anything else you wish to complain about Shizune" Tsunade remarked threateningly.

Shizune began to stutter. "W-w-what-t-t I-I'm n-n-not-t c-c-compl-plaining." Then she began to talk more and more rapidly. "What makes you think I'm complaining? I'm not suggesting I'm overworked or anything, really I'm not! There really is a ton of paperwork. With mission reports, notes from debt collectors, mission requests, all those statements from today's incidents, it's all coming in so fast and it's so much to sort through. One person or two or even three, no matter who they are or how good could ever…."

Lady Tsunade had heard quite enough. "Shizune! Enough already I get it. We're buried in paperwork. I get enough stupid paperwork to wallpaper the whole village. Just calm down and go stand by the door. I'm expecting someone right about now and unlike a certain other team Captain he's normally on time."

"Yes my Lady" Shizune replied weakly glad not to be in too much trouble. The Hokage scared her when she was angry.

As Shizune walked over to the door Lady Tsunade continued addressing Chino. Before that however, Chino had been intently staring at Shizune during her high speed apology/explanation, giving her a stop before you dig yourself so deep a hole you'll never see the light of day again signal. From the other times Chino was in the village, especially the time when she was on a mission with Shizune, Chino realized the medical ninja had a tendency to say things that could make the situation worse for her when she was nervous (or drunk).

Taka had been trying to signal her to stop by moving his wings rapidly in an X shape from Chino's shoulder. Normally Taka liked being in the company of women rather than men, (he had jealousy issues) but Shizune's nervous light speed talking made him irritated. The Hokage had managed to stop her just as he was considering flying over to Shizune so he could land on her shoulder and slap her upside the head with his wing. Now Chino and Taka were trying to remain still and serious since the Hokage's full attention was on them.

"Before you go there are a few more things I need to tell you first. This is an ANBU mission so you'll have to use a code name as usual. For this particular mission you will use the name Mizuki. You can use your clan's name for your last name since no one around here has really heard of it. Since you will be living in the village you obviously don't need to wear your mask anymore."

As soon as Chino heard that she immediately went to take the mask off. At this she could feel Shizune's eyes on her since she never got to see Chino's face before (that she could remember). Only Shino knew what her face looked like so besides him, Lady Tsunade, and soon Shizune, no one would be able to connect her identity to the ANBU mask that concealed it from the world. "Glad to see you're enthusiastic about that part. Shizune! Watch what you're doing before you fall over." Shizune straightened up embarrassed the Hokage saw her acting so childishly. Taka nudged Chino to turn around so Shizune could see her.

"I'm touched you were that interested Shizune-san. Like what you see? Was it worth almost falling on your face?" Chino teased with a silly, mischievous grin.

Shizune blushed and all she could say in response came out as a stammer of "You wear glasses?"

"They work more like goggles even though they look like ordinary glasses. My clan has good eyesight but that also makes our eyes more sensitive to sunlight and they help focus our abilities. My brother Ashido designed these especially for me, before other clan members started requesting them, like everything else he designs. See-through sunglasses that also work with a special jutsu that was placed on them to increase my normal sight range."

Shizune had not expected an answer from Chino. "Why see-through?" she asked curiously.

"Regular sunglasses tend to distort the kekkei genkai's powers and it's annoying to keep taking sunglasses on and off. I also happen to like people to be able to see my eyes. Otherwise I feel like I still have that stupid mask on." Chino looked at her mask as she said that last part. Before they could continue their conversation, Lady Tsunade cut in.

"If you two are done now Chino, I'll introduce you to the shinobi that will escort you to your apartment and show you around the village. He's in ANBU like you so you may have worked with him before. Feel free to approach him with any questions you may have. Of course you can always talk to Shizune or Sakura while you are working with them. Shizune you can open the door now." The way the Hokage emphasized the other shinobi's names gave Chino the hint: Don't annoy me or else.

Shizune opened the door and sure enough the person the Hokage was waiting for was there. He was about 175 cm tall with short brown hair, a forehead protector that extended down around his face, and unusual eyes. Normally it's not easy to tell if you know an ANBU or not since they usually have their face covered and speak only a little. Chino wasn't a normal ANBU, so as soon as the man walked into the room she thought there was something familiar about him. All I need is a voice to attach with his behavior and I should be able to tell if I've worked with him before Chino thought. Before Tsunade could introduce the man Chino glanced at Taka. From the way he was studying this man she suspected the hawk thought he may be someone they know. Then Tsunade's voice interrupted Chino's thoughts.

"This is the ANBU I mentioned who will be escorting you to your apartment. For now I'll let him introduce himself. Of course he's using a codename just as you are to use the codename Mizuki*." (*This was meant as a not so subtle reminder for Chino)

"Thank you Lady Hokage," the man began. "Mizuki-san…"

"Call me Kusannagi-san. That's the last name I'm using. I would prefer you use that since it happens to be my real last name, and it has been a while since I've been allowed to use it." "Of course. Kusannagi-san it is. What should I call your hawk partner?"  
"His name is Taka." The man looked confused by this.  
"Just Taka?" Chino answered his understandable question with a smile followed by an explanation.  
"Yep. I was about two when I named him so that's about all I could say. It was one of my first words actually."  
"My apologies if that came out as rude. You may call me…"  
"TREE!" Chino's shout cut off the man as recognition sunk in and she pointed to him.  
"What?" replied the flustered man still confused by the sudden outburst. Then Chino followed up her ridiculous outburst with  
"Now I know why I thought I recognized you sempai."  
"I AM NOT A TREE (*delayed reaction*)!"  
By this time Tsunade and Shizune could not contain their laughter.

"Well I can see that. You don't have leaves coming out of the back of your head or something like that. Do you?"  
"Why would I have THAT!" the man shouted indignantly. "Tell me why you think you know me and why you yelled Tree while pointing at me!" he demanded fiercely.  
"Oops sor-ry. Didn't mean to say that out loud. Honest." Unsatisfied with Chino's response the angry ANBU continued ranting.  
"Kusannagi-san that still does NOT explain why you think I'm a TREE!"  
"You're still on that? Why the hell would I think you're a damn tree? Didn't I already say I didn't think that? Before you ask, let me say I don't think that Tree is your name either."  
"Good, because as I was trying to tell you before you started with your nonsense; my name is Yamato."

While this was going on Tsunade had fallen out of her chair from laughter and was currently almost under her desk. Shizune had turned her back on the pair and ducked into a corner of the office, nearly suffocating from how hard she was laughing. Yamato and Chino were ignoring them while Taka just watched.  
"When I said tree before I was referring to how you make trees with your Wood Style jutsus but it came out wrong OK?" Chino crossed her arms and pouted while turning away slightly. She was embarrassed over the whole misunderstanding.  
"How do you know about my ability to use Wood Style jutsu?"  
"Knew I was right. Your voice and mannerisms gave you away. It sounds exactly the same as I remember it. The nickname is since ANBU change names as much as shirts. My clan is known for being very observant and our analyzing skills. I also happen to have a very good memory which annoys my friends and teammates since I never forget any stupid thing they do."  
"I'll remember that. Now I think it's well past time we leave" Yamato suggested.  
Chino looked at him skeptically. "You still mad?"  
"No, it was all a misunderstanding. You were just surprised you recognized me. I understand."  
I highly doubt that, Chino thought to herself.

Before he turned to lead Chino out of the office, Yamato turned to address Tsunade who had composed herself enough to get back on her chair behind her desk. Shizune had also managed to control herself so she could at least look at the two as they were leaving. "My Lady we'll be leaving now. Please contact me if you need me for anything else." Tsunade waved them toward the door dismissively.  
"Hold on a moment sempai. In all the uhh … excitement? I forgot to give the Hokage something" Chino called after the older ANBU. Tsunade looked up from her desk at the statement. Chino took out the scroll with the package from her mother that was supposed to be booby trapped so only the Hokage could open it safely. "From my mother. I'd be careful with that. Not sure what's in it but if Okaa-san was being serious about the whole only the Hokage can open it without setting off the traps, you may get some use out of it as a punishment for someone who's pissed you off." Taka backed away toward the door as Chino took the suspicious "gift" out of the scroll and gently placed it on the Hokage's desk. Before the Hokage could question her further, Chino, Taka, and Yamato hurried out the office door as if the package was about to go off.

Pranks Revealed

Once the pair had left the building, Yamato decided to talk to the girl to make sure she wasn't the insane person he thought she might be, based upon his first impression. "Today has been a real eventful day. Have you heard anything about the many "incidents" around Konoha while you were on your way to meet with the Hokage?"  
Chino tried her best to keep a straight face at hearing these questions. "Perhaps. What have you heard about sempai?"  
"This isn't the ANBU. You don't have to call me sempai. Anyway I only know about what happened to Kotetsu, Izumo, and Genma. Do you know who they are?"  
"The leaf monsters and the bug eater? Yeah I know of them, but that's not much compared to what I know about those incidents."

Yamato stared at the girl and considered what she had told him. Something seemed off about her statement, as if he missed something. After repeating her words in his head a few times it dawned on him and he didn't want to believe the conclusion he came to. "Everyone knows about how hard it was for Kotetsu and Izumo to get off the leaves that stuck to them from the trap in the guard booth but Genma never explained what happened to him. Anyone could have guessed it had to do with the senbon he keeps in his mouth even without his saying anything. But why did you refer to him as a 'bug eater'? You didn't have anything to do with that or the other incidents did you?"

Chino seemed unaffected by his words as she nonchalantly answered Yamato's questions. "Guess I'm caught. Shizune probably knows anyway. From the expression she gave when I got to the office and told Lady Tsunade the 'incidents were over' I think she at least suspects something. I pulled something on Anko and her when we had our mission together so she knows about my style. The point of the training exercise was not to get caught before I reached the Hokage's office so it's still mission accomplished. Some other prankster Genin was said to be getting a punishment for what happened so I'm not worried."

Yamato froze too shocked to process what the girl said. Once the shock started to wear off he was able to speak again. "Are you crazy Kusannagi-san? I should have guessed it was you. Everything started about when you should have gotten to Konoha and ended when you reached the Hokage's office. What were you thinking? Are you trying to get the whole village to hate you on your first day here? If the others find out it was really you they may try to run you out of Konoha! Not to mention did I hear you say you tried to prank Anko? That sounds like a death wish to me. Pranks are training? What were you trying to prove with all this?"

Pausing a moment to think of how to explain her actions, Chino looked up at Taka who had gone to sit on a branch of a nearby tree. Taka shrugged his shoulders and looked off to the side a bit. That was his way of telling Chino you're on your own with this one. After another minute or two Chino looked right at Yamato and proclaimed "Pranks are training! It proves I can sneak up on an enemy undetected, do whatever I want and get away safely. You Konoha shinobi should be ashamed that a relative stranger was able to get the drop on them. So no I'm not crazy, I'm skilled and I was thinking this was a good way to prove it. They let their guard down and weren't aware of their surroundings. That's their problem and for your information Anko handles being pranked better than you think. Only problem is she enjoys pulling pranks back. Now, do you wanna hear what else I did?"

"Are you going to tell me anyway?" Yamato asked giving up on arguing or reasoning with her. She had a point after all. Chunin and Jonin should have been able to detect her and get out of her pranks before it was too late.  
"Yeah I probably would. You're interested and ya don't want to admit it right?" She didn't wait for Yamato to speak. "Alright, I'll start with what happened to that silver haired, mask wearing perv."  
"Do you mean Kakashi-sempai?" Yamato interrupted, a little shocked.

"Sure, whatever, Kakashi-sempai. Anyway I saw him reading that pervy Icha Icha book. I used a shadow clone that looked like a really attractive lady to get him to put the thing down. Then I switched it for some animal book I picked up in a nearby bookstore and replaced the animal book's cover with the cover of another copy of the book he was reading. I threw his book in a bush while he was trying to whisper something in the clone's ear that I'm not repeating. The clone slapped him and disappeared, leaving him standing there staring into empty space like a fool. When he went back to his book and opened it, the pictures of the animals popped out at him because of the jutsu I used on it. He nearly fainted. Last I saw of him he was searching the bushes for his pervy book, after attacking the one I left for him with a couple of kunai."

"That certainly sounds like sempai. If it wasn't for how he overworks me and reads those books when he's supposed to be helping train Naruto I would feel more sorry for him." That was all Yamato had to say after Chino's description of how she tortured the former ANBU was finished.  
"Told ya you were interested!" Chino said eager to continue. "Alright next how 'bout I tell you how I got to the chubby one from Asuma-san's team and the lazy shadow boy?"  
"Their names are Chouji and Shikamaru. Make sure not to call Chouji fat or chubby to his face. He'll overreact and attack you. Be careful with Shikamaru. He may be lazy but he is a genius" Yamato warned.  
"I already heard something similar from the dog boy of Kurenai-san's team, don't worry. All we did was steal some of the Chouji kid's snacks and leave them with that Shikamaru kid. Taka and I ate some of the chips we stole and left crumbs on the sleepy cloud watcher's shirt. Then the chubby one followed the trail of chips to where sleeping beauty was and yelled something like "How could you!" and attacked him with his Spiked Human Bullet Tank jutsu thing. Now that had to hurt. They were arguing when I left."

"I have to say I'm impressed. I'm surprised you were able to get a hold of Chouji's snacks. That most definitely takes skill" Yamato commented.  
"Thanks for the compliment Yamato-san. Trust me it wasn't easy. I almost got caught with that one. Speaking of hard pranks to pull off where I almost got caught, you'll find this interesting. From the time I went on a mission with Anko I studied her handwriting so I could copy it. I was bored and nothing else to do. With this skill I tried to forge a love letter/confession from Anko to Ibiki. To her credit she listened to him read the whole thing without letting her face give away she had no idea what was going on. She even half went along with it before admitting she didn't write it, although she admitted the handwriting looked like hers. Luckily, Ibiki didn't seem like he took the letter seriously and the two of them were trying to figure out who wrote it. Taka convinced another hawk to deliver it, so they'll have a little trouble tracking down the sender. I don't think that even Ibiki can interrogate a bird."

This time Yamato was a little concerned for the ANBU girl. "Clever but risky. Didn't you say Shizune and Anko were familiar with your pranks? Once Anko realizes you're here won't she know it was you?"  
"More than likely, but she thought it was funny so she would probably sit me down and critique the whole thing while explaining how she would have done it. That's not really important" Chino said dismissively. OK, next I'll tell you about what happened after lunch. I'm not telling you about these pranks in order, so keep up 'kay? Now after I finished eating at this ramen bar, this pink haired angry girl got there with this whiny blonde boy who had what looked like whiskers painted on his face."  
Again Yamato interrupted. "That's Sakura and Naruto from my team. You'll meet her soon if you haven't already since she's Lady Tsunade's apprentice. Naruto is a jinchuriki so those markings on his face aren't paint and they become more prominent when he starts to transform into the 9-tailed Demon fox."

"Good to know. I'll keep that in mind. Hard to believe Naruto's a jinchuriki and the Kyubi no less. He acts like a child and a fool (*like my father*), so I wouldn't have believed it without anyone confirming it. Anyway as I was saying, I ended up puling a prank on the girl and she took it out on, whaddya call him, Naruto?…" Just then Chino was interrupted by a boy about her age who was clearly determined on talking to her escort.

"Yamato-taichou. I've been looking for you. Shizune said you would be around here. I'm sorry to interrupt you."

"Not a problem. What do you need? I can help you as soon as I have finished escorting Kusannagi-san here to the new apartment where she will be staying."

Chino ignored Yamato. She did not like being interrupted when she was having fun. Even without him rudely cutting in on her conversation she would have acted hostile anyway once she noticed what he carried on his back. He's one of them Chino thought angrily. How dare he! "Hey nice shirt kid. Hit a growth spurt recently?" Chino spat out sarcastically.  
"No, I don't really think so. I'm not sure I really understand what you mean."  
"Doesn't really matter. Regardless of what he says, I find your interruption to be a problem. Can't you see I was in the middle of telling him something? (*radiating killing aura*)"  
The boy was a little shaken since he could not figure out what he did to make Chino so angry at him. That and the fact that the hawk in a nearby tree looked like it was ready to attack him. "I overheard you talking to Yamato-taichou. You're the one who's been causing all the problems today. That doesn't seem like something you should do to fellow Konoha shinobi."

The boy irritated Chino and it was apparent to Yamato. At first he couldn't figure out what was wrong. From what he had seen firsthand and heard through the Hokage's office door, she seemed to want to interact with people despite her ANBU training. She didn't seem like the type to get so worked up over someone interrupting her. He had done so a number of times already with little incident. Then he followed her eyes and it hit him. The girl wasn't angry at him for what he did, but for what she realized he was. However, he was a little late because Chino started to verbally assault the boy before he could stop her.

"What I do is none of your business and you better not say anything or else. Right Taka?" The hawk flapped his wings furiously and called out his agreement which made the boy nervous. "Technically, I'm not from this village for your information. And even if I was, who are you to tell me what I should be doing? And what's with that outfit? Are you a shinobi or a male escort?"

"You mean like Yamato-taichou?" the boy asked innocently.

Neither Chino nor Yamato was expecting that to be his response. Such a blunt and clueless statement caused Chino to forget her anger and laugh in the boy's face as Yamato became mortified. In between fits of laughter Chino managed to blurt out "not that kind of escort you idiot!" Yamato gave him his patented ghost story style shock value glare while Chino and Taka tried to catch their breath.  
"There's more than one meaning for the word escort? I'll have to look that up!" As soon as he finished his statement the boy started looking for a book in his bag.  
"Is he serious?" Chino started in disbelief of the boy's behavior. "I know ROOT training suppresses emotions but I didn't realize it worked on common sense and intelligence too. Gives a whole new meaning to Wood Style jutsu!" Chino said to Yamato while still giggling. That perv Rinku would have field day with this if she was here she thought.  
"Sai stop, that's not necessary. Put that thing away."  
*More giggling from Chino caused Yamato to blush as he realized how else his statement could be interpreted, based on their earlier conversation.*

"Kusannagi-san the last thing I need is for you to put strange ideas in his head. (*Don't say anything glare shot at Chino.*) He's a member of my team, so there's no need to be hostile toward him. Sai, she's part of an ANBU unit that is very against ROOT so please don't give her or the hawk a reason to attack you. Now what is it you wanted to tell me?" Yamato was too relieved in knowing Sai misunderstood what the girl was asking to be mad at him any longer for implying he was involved in such a scandalous activity.  
"It's not that important. You can finish what you were talking about before I interrupted. Since you were talking about my teammates I'm interested in hearing what happened since they refuse to talk about it."

Chino gave Sai a sideways glance before responding. "Whatever you say ROOT." (*Another glare from Yamato*) Chino rolled her eyes and sighed. "I mean Sai-kun. That better Tai-chou? Chino deliberately over emphasized and drew out the reference to Yamato as a way of acknowledging she saw what he was doing. "Was that look supposed to scare me or something?"  
"It works on my team" Yamato mumbled.  
"Heard that. Sure it does. Don't feel disappointed. If you saw what I have to live with you would know you need to try harder." (*watches Yamato flinch and the comment go over Sai's head*). "Alright. You wanna know why Sakura-chan is pissed at Naruto-kun? I'll tell ya but keep the comments to yourself. Both of you."

Sai and Yamato agreed to keep their mouths quiet long enough for Chino to tell them what happened. Basically, Chino used her wind jutsu to mess with Sakura's food. At first she forced all of the extras from her bowl into Naruto's. Naruto wasn't paying attention since he was too busy listening to Sakura rant, so he ate all of the food that was blown into his bowl along with his own. When Sakura stopped ranting and saw her bowl only had noodles and broth she shouted at a confused Naruto. Then another shinobi came up and talked with Sakura, giving Naruto a chance to eat. Every time the two of them were looking away, Chino continued to use her wind jutsu to move the rest of Sakura's food into Naruto's bowl. He ate the whole bowl, Sakura got mad at him for eating her food, she started beating on him, and he ran away.

Once Chino finished telling Yamato and Sai about her prank on Sakura and Naruto she continued to tell them about her other pranks while they continued on their way to the apartment building. She described how she got Asuma to smoke cigarettes that make colored smoke when used. Initially he was surprised but they started to grow on him so he didn't mind using them. That was until he realized the cigarettes could also make pictures and words out of the smoke. Unfortunately, Asuma didn't realize this until Kurenai saw something she didn't like in the smoke and hit the cigarette out of his mouth. Then Chino went on to tell them about how Tenten was forced to retrieve her weapons scrolls from the Forest of Death. Taka enjoyed watching her being chased by giant bugs. As far as anyone knew, Tenten was still trying to get them by the time Chino had lost interest in watching her and gone to the Hokage's office. Nobody seemed all too concerned that she hadn't been seen coming out of the forest yet.

By the time the trio of shinobi and one ninja hawk were half way to their destination Chino had moved on to explaining how she and Taka worked together to get Ino with their pranks. Ino had been working at her family's flower shop and was working on the displays at the store front. She had left a vase with only three flowers out in the open which the pranksters targeted. Every time Ino turned her back on the display Chino used wind jutsu to blow all the petals off the flowers or Taka swooped in to steal the flower right off the stem. After about three passes Ino caught on that someone was purposefully messing up her display and went out of her way to try and keep an eye on the vase. She was unsuccessful as the flower shop was busy.

Lee was surprised with an unprecedented letter asking for a challenge from Neji. Of course the letter was a fake but the young shinobi was too excited to notice and immediately rushed off to accept the challenge. Neji was practicing just outside the Hyuga compound when Lee moved in for a surprise attack. Watching a confused Neji fend off an overzealous Lee became one of the highlights of Chino's day; once it turned into a rather spectacular loss for Lee and an angry Gai sensei came out of nowhere to avenge him.

Hinata was too easy to fool. Chino barely had to put in half as much effort into the prank on Hinata as she did with the one for Lee and Neji. All she had to do was follow Hinata and say Naruto while she spun around looking for him while blushing deeply. Eventually, Hinata actually bumped into him as he was still trying to avoid Sakura. As usual Hinata fainted almost immediately at the sight of him.

One of the last pranks to be done was on Kiba. Chino left a basket of dog toys on his doorstep with a note that read: To Kiba, From Hinata. Hana had answered the door and laughed openly when she read the note. Kiba was thoroughly embarrassed and tried to cover his embarrassment by saying Hinata must have meant them to be for Akamaru.  
"Wait, you bought Kiba dog toys? How much did that cost?" Yamato asked curiously.  
"Not much actually the owner gave me a discount because he thought the idea was funny and because I said someone else sent me to buy them" Chino replied happily remembering the scene from the store.

*Flashback*

"Anything I can help you with miss?"  
"Sure. I need to find dog toys an Inuzuka would like. Any suggestions?"  
"You mean for the Inuzuka's ninken, not the people right?"  
"No, I mean the people. At least that's what my friend told me. I guess it's one of their birthdays or something."  
"You're really serious? Now that's funny! Tell ya what, if you let my daughter make the gift basket up I'll give you a discount.  
She's been looking for a way to help out around the store."  
"You've got a deal!"

*END Flashback*

"Is buying dogs toys for Inuzuka's a normal thing to do as a show friendship?" Sai asked.  
"No. It's not normal to buy anyone dog toys as a sign of friendship. Not even with Inuzukas. That's why it's a prank" Chino informed him. "Maybe you should write that down." To Chino's amusement the fool actually did write it down. Someone needs to explain sarcasm to that boy Chino thought as Taka covered his face with his wing in utter disgust.

"Looks like we're here" Yamato announced.  
"Excellent timing! I only have one more prank to tell you two about" Chino declared. "Iruka-san and well, the staff of the mission room as a whole, were the last people to get a prank. It was simple but effective. Once there was a ton of mission reports in nice, neat, little organized piles I blasted them with a wind jutsu and scattered the papers everywhere. Then I used another jutsu on them to get them to stick to the walls and ceilings. Iruka-san seems to think Kakashi-san is responsible for that prank for some reason. They were trying to figure out a way to get the papers down without damaging them when I finally went to the Hokage's office. Now where's my room?"

"Excellent work Birdie! Can you show me that jutsu some time?"  
Chino really did not like Sai calling her Birdie. "What did you call me ROOT boy?"  
"You called me Root as a nickname so I just thought I'd try giving you a nickname. That's what friends do. What's wrong with it?"  
Chino was very angry. "Wrong choice!" Sai never saw Chino's attack. The last thought that crossed his mind, before he lost consciousness, was how the enraged girl's left eye suddenly looked like a golden colored hawk's eye. No sooner had Sai hit the ground, before a shocked Yamato, did a boy hang out his window and yell at them to keep it down. Then the boy noticed who was outside the building and called down to Yamato directly.

"Is that you Yamato-taichou? Am I glad to see you!" The boy then jumped down to the street below nearly missing Sai's unconscious form.  
"Naruto be careful! You almost landed on Sai" Yamato chastised.  
"I will. Anyway you gotta help me! Grandma Tsunade wants me to clean the Hokage statues cuz she thinks I'm the prankster! Honest it wasn't me! You gotta talk to her please! Hey what happened to Sai?"

"Calm down Naruto I believe you and never mind about Sai right now. However I don't think there's anything I can do to make the Hokage change her mind. Maybe Kusannagi-san here would like to help you, if you ask nicely." Chino stared at him in disbelief.  
"Really you'd do that?" Naruto asked hopefully.  
"Why should I! It's his punishment!" Chino said clearly annoyed.  
"It would be the right thing to do since you and I both know Naruto isn't to blame."  
Chino and Taka had to admit Yamato had a point. Maybe if we help him Yamato won't say anything about how this is our fault was the only reason Taka could communicate to Chino that would convince her to stop arguing. "Fine! I'll help the fox boy but you have to keep your mouth shut and take care of that" Chino stated pointing at Sai.  
"Consider it done" Yamato replied in agreement.

"I don't know what's going on but thanks." Naruto was glad to have help since he was definitely not looking forward to the chore. The only thing left now to worry about was whether Tsunade would allow Naruto to have help.

"I'm going to need a drink after all this" Yamato murmured to himself.

"You can do that after you show me where my apartment is in this building" Chino told Yamato. "Just don't get too drunk and say something stupid you'll regret" she teased.  
Unfortunately for Yamato, he wasn't that lucky later on when he went out for drinks with Kakashi. Genma tagged along out of boredom. He managed not to say anything about how Chino was the real prankster but he accidently let slip his argument over whether or not he was a tree or a male escort. Genma and Kakashi were determined to make sure he never lives that down by making comments and jokes about those two misunderstandings whenever possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: -Next Chapter- Chino moves in and helps Naruto with his punishment, but still no Team 17. They should arrive in Konoha sometime after chapter 10 but there will most likely be references or flashbacks with them. They do make a significant appearance in a later Chapter from still within the Amazon Village.


	5. Naruto's Punished (& No Prank 4 Shino?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chino finishes moving into her new apartment. Tsunade figures out what really happened and Naruto gets a recap of Chino's pranks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is broken down into two parts. Most of the story is Chino and Naruto centric but many of the other members of the Naruto cast appear in part one.   
> Parts one and two will have references to pranks from Chapters 3 and 4. Following the reference will be a note on how to find where it happened in the story. Ch = chapter.

Part 1 – Moving In

"Can we go in the building now? I wanna get this over with before there's any more excitement" Chino exclaimed.  
"Certainly" Yamato replied.  
"Uhh … Taichou … umm … What are we going to do with Sai?" Naruto asked nervously.  
"You're problem, NOT mine. Just drag him up the stairs or something" suggested Chino. Yamato did not appreciate the suggestion.  
"No, I think I'll carry him instead. Now, Kusannagi-san, Naruto-kun, please follow me."

Yamato carried Sai all the way up to the top floor where Chino's new apartment was. "Here we are. This will be your new apartment Kusannagi-san, and this is the key." Yamato said this as he opened the door and then proceeded to hand the key to Chino. "After you" the former stated as held the door open for the others.  
"Thanks Yamato-san. You guys comin' in?"  
"We can?" asked Naruto a little surprised.  
"Don't see why not as long as Yamato-san leaves the burden outside" Chino ordered while pointing at an unconscious Sai. "TAKA! Don't peck it, you don't know where it's been. Just get inside and find a spot for your new nest."

Yamato exchanged looks with Naruto before watching Chino and Taka go inside. Although he looked like he felt a little guilty doing it, Yamato propped Sai's body up against the wall and followed Naruto into the apartment.  
"Pretty empty huh?"  
"Naruto, of course its empty baka. I haven't put any of our stuff in it yet."

"Well everything seems to be in order here. So… if you don't need me I'll bring Sai-kun to the hospital just as a precaution."  
Chino gave Yamato a disgusted look before addressing him. "I don't think that will be necessary Yamato-san. Just bring the dead weight to Shizune. She'll look at him and you know you want to see her again (*smirk*)." Chino watched with amusement as Yamato tried to hide his blush. Naruto took Yamato's silence as a chance to butt in.  
"I don't know why you would want to see Shizune, Taichou but, … Sai'll be fine. If he can survive a beating from Sakura and Ino at the same time, he has to be able to get over whatever SHE did to him." Yamato was still a little skeptical about that point.

"Although Sakura is strong, I was under the impression from Lady Tsunade when we spoke before Kusannagi-san arrived that she may in fact be stronger. She is from a village where the majority of kunoichi are very powerful. Lady Tsunade helped train a number of her village's kunoichi personally, so it would not be surprising." Naruto shuddered at the idea of any girl being stronger than Sakura. She was already more than he could handle. He did NOT like the idea of more of Sakura, or (*another shudder*) worse.

"Are you really stronger than Sakura?"

"Naruto I've never fought her before so I really can't say for sure. What rank is she anyway?" Yamato decided to answer that question.  
"Sakura-chan is a Chunin and Naruto-kun here is a Genin…"  
"Wait a minute! The fox boy is still only a Genin? I thought a jinchuriki would be a Jounin by now, or at least a Chunin."  
Naruto did Not like to underestimated. "That WASN'T my fault!" he shouted. "Orochimaru attacked during the first time I tried to take the Chunin exams, AND they were cancelled that year! Then I went off to train with Pervy Sage after that so, I Haven't been around to take them a second time. Kiba already teases me about that. I Don't need it from you too! What rank are You?" Naruto dragged out the You, sounding smug.  
"I happen to be a Jounin. Guess I outrank Both of You," Chino announced, rubbing it in Naruto's face.  
Naruto was partially embarrassed, partially in shock. "How can You be a Jounin! You don't look much older than me!"

"And since when did age determine Ninja Rank? Isn't there a Jounin not much older than you already in this village? Unless I misheard Hinata-san I thought there was."  
Yamato took this opportunity to intervene since he didn't feel confident bringing Sai to the hospital without making sure Naruto was safe. "There is. Neji Hyuga, Hinata-san's cousin, is already a Jounin, And he is only a year older than the group of ninja that Naruto graduated the academy with."

"I think that proves my point. I Win!" Chino said as she stuck her tongue out at Naruto.

"Not that rank necessarily determines strength, but I also use Wind natured chakra to add extra damage to my taijutsu and weapon attacks. Even if I nearly miss, the wind can still cut my target. Or… when my attacks do connect, I can manipulate the Wind chakra into a concussive force that causes internal damage. Unless your Sakura-chan has some way to protect herself or counter my attacks I think I could beat her."  
"That Wind natured chakra of yours is the reason why I want Sai at the hospital. There's no reason to bother Shizune. She must be very busy. Naruto… Please stop fighting with her and go back Home. Don't get into any more trouble, and find some way to work together when you go to clean the Cliffside images tomorrow." Naruto groaned remembering the colossal chore that awaited him while Chino just sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, teamwork without fighting. I get it! But I'm going to Ichiraku for some ramen and get in some more training before I go home."  
"You do that fox-boy. Hey if we're gonna work together on this whole cleaning thing, can you give me an idea of what time you plan on starting?"  
"After breakfast?" Naruto asked more than stated.  
"OK…. That's a little vague. Wanna be a little more specific?"  
"Not really. I don't exactly have a set time when I get up and I always eat before I leave so…." Chino cut Naruto off.  
"Don't you have an alarm clock or something?"  
Naruto shrugged. "I have a clock but I don't really set an alarm."  
"What about when you have missions? Don't tell me you just always get there late."  
"No that's Kakashi-sensei. Since he's always late and we can't leave until he gets there, I don't really have to worry about getting up late."  
"Right…so any time after sunrise it is. Just knock first and make sure to use the door, Not the window." Naruto gave the ANBU girl a strange look as if her last statement was obvious.  
"Whatever you say Kusannagi-san. See ya tomorrow."

Naruto waved back at Chino as he left with Yamato carrying Sai following behind him. Just after closing the door Chino could hear Yamato warning Naruto not to cause trouble tomorrow and Naruto agreeing since he claimed to "not want to end up like Sai". Laughing to herself because of Naruto's comment, Chino listened as the other shinobi walked away. As soon as they were just starting to get out of earshot, Chino thought she heard something about Naruto should try to get to know her. To make sure the little group was truly heading away from her building, Chino followed Taka out the window and used her chakra to get up to the roof. From the roof Chino watched Yamato still following Naruto. "Think he's making sure the little kitsune goes where he said he would?" Chino asked Taka. The hawk just shrugged, disinterested. Taka was far more interested in finding materials to make his new nest in the apartment to worry about a few ninja that were still practically strangers. Looking at Taka Chino could guess what he was thinking.

"Let's go back inside. Show me where you want to put your nest so I don't put any things I'm unpacking in that spot." After showing Chino a spot in the corner near a window, Taka went out to begin gathering materials he would need for his new nest. While Taka was outside Chino started unpacking the things she had stored in the scrolls she brought from home. Looking at the rooms in the apartment, Chino went about arranging furniture and belongings until she came across the documents and things her mother had wanted her to deliver for her while she was in Konoha. I don't remember Okaa-san specifying when these things had to be delivered so I guess they can wait for tomorrow. As soon as I'm done helping that Naruto maybe I can get him to help me find where these people live so I can get rid of all this extra stuff.

Just then Taka came in with what would be the last of what he would need to make his new nest. "Hey Taka! What do you say we have dinner before it gets too late? BBQ OK? I think I saw a good looking place nearby." The hawk agreed so the pair set off to get dinner leaving all the other chores for tomorrow. At the barbeque restaurant, Chino recognized Team 10 with Asuma-sensei at a booth across from her. They were talking about the earlier "incidents" of the day. Luckily for Chino none of the team members had seen her or Taka while she was playing her pranks so there was no way they could recognize her. "Seems Chouji and Shikamaru (see Ch. 4) are still arguing and Ino's talking about some crazy theory about how the shop is being haunted" (see Ch. 4) Chino said to herself. Then Taka motioned toward Asuma.

"Is that a handprint mark on Asuma-san's face?" she questioned. "He really must have done something to piss off Kurenai-san after we left." (see Ch. 4) Taka nodded in agreement before eating another piece of meat. "You are truly spoiled for a ninja hawk, you know that? Be glad the owner didn't give me a hard time about letting you in here or you'd still be outside hunting rats right now."

As Chino and Taka left the restaurant a fairly large group of shinobi was coming in. Among them were Genma, Kotetsu, and Izumo. Apparently, Kotetsu, and Izumo still hadn't gotten off all the leaves that had stuck to them as a result of Chino's prank on them earlier in the day (see Ch. 3, part 2 – Arrival). Genma was nervously fiddling with a senbon obviously not yet ready to put one back in his mouth, also as a result of Chino's pranks (see Ch. 3, part 2 – Arrival). By tomorrow, I should be able to find out all about the fallout from the rest of our pranks Chino thought as she headed back to her new home.

Once Chino got home and she and Taka got ready for bed, she decided to give her hawk some final instructions for tomorrow. "Taka don't worry about following me tomorrow when I go to help Naruto. Now don't give me that look. You saw him. Jinchuriki or not, the boy is not that smart so he has to be relatively harmless. I'll leave the window open so you can get out. Take the time to get used to the area and you're on your own for breakfast. When I'm finished cleaning I'll come find you so we can deliver all that stuff Okaa-san dumped on us. …. Any bets on what time Naruto will get here tomorrow?" Chino listed her bet and Taka's on a sheet of paper she left on the dining room table along with a second bet on when they will actually finish cleaning the Hokage monuments in a way that Tsunade will find acceptable.

Part 2 – Filling Naruto In

The next day, Chino won the first bet on what time Naruto would arrive. Things started off a little rough with Naruto insisting he go check on Sai and Chino wanting nothing to do with it. Taka got angry for being woken up and pecked Naruto until he was driven out of the apartment. Outside the hospital, while Chino waited for Naruto to finish his visit with a just recently conscious Sai, she was able to witness a comedic sight. Team Gai's (why don't they have a #?) Neji, Lee, and Gai-sensei were making a scene. Somehow Neji just barely managed to defeat Gai yesterday in his overzealous attempt to avenge a fallen Lee (see Ch. 4). The group was still arguing over the reason for the fight in which Neji was having no success whatsoever at convincing the other two, who still did not believe the challenge was a fake, that he had no idea what was going on.

Noticeably, Tenten was still missing and Chino wondered whether something in the Forest of Death had eaten and/or killed her yet (ch. 4). Before she could come to a decision she saw the poor, exhausted girl dragging herself to the hospital and narrowly avoiding further damage from a struggling Lee, who was trying to escape from the hospital. Feeling guilty, because she hadn't expected her to only just be getting back now, Chino helped Tenten to the door where a nurse took her. 'What kind of Team doesn't notice when a teammate mysteriously vanishes for almost a day,' Chino thought. Then she promptly helped hold still a flailing Lee and Gai-sensei long enough for Neji to use Gentle Fist to subdue them enough to be carried back inside. Not long after the scene was over, Naruto came cheerfully out of the hospital.

"Bout time you were done" hissed an annoyed Chino who had gone back to her original spot outside the hospital.  
"Sai's fine. He'll be comin' out soon. You have got to show me what you did! Anything happen while I was inside?"  
Chino replied flatly, "Nothing out of the ordinary for this interesting place I'm sure."  
Naruto gave her a look before replying, "Whatever you say Kusannagi-san. Hey Neji what are you doing here?... What happened to you, you're a mess!" Neji snorted and turned away, ignoring Naruto before leaving in a huff. "Jeez, what's his problem?"  
"Other than having an insane, overzealous, fight happy teammate and sensei? Who knows" Chino commented.  
"Fight happy?" Naruto questioned confused. "Wait! Did Neji get in a fight with Bushy Brows? That explains why he was in the hospital. Bushy Brows is strong so only someone as strong as Neji could injure him..…"  
"Question" Chino interrupted, "I didn't get a good look at his eyes but, was that the same Neji Hyuga who's supposed to be the Jounin around my age?"

"Yeah that's him. Stuck up, that's what he is. Always looking down on me. Thinks 'cause he's a Jounin he can boss me around when I get stuck with him as a team leader. Forgot I beat him the last time we fought."  
"Oh really. How long ago was that?"  
Naruto hesitated. "Well…it was a few years ago but he's not the only one who's gotten stronger!" he shouted. Then he started ranting. "Just because I'm not around to take tests to get higher ranks doesn't mean he's stronger!" I'm going to be Hokage one day just you see. Believe it!"  
Chino did not seem so confident about that.  
"Normally I don't say this but…I'll believe it when I see it. From where I'm standing you've got a lot to do before you become Hokage. Being Hokage is not just about being the strongest or the best. It's a lot of hard work and responsibility, like being a clan leader but harder. You do realize that don't you?"

Naruto made a dismissive sound as he pouted at Chino's remarks. "Yeah, yeah, work and responsibility, whatever. When I'm Hokage, people will respect me and recognize how great I am, AND things are gonna change around here!" "Sure they are. Right now the only thing you will be changing is the water to clean the Cliffside Images. Focus on that for now. Now get in there and report to Lady Tsunade. You better hope she doesn't give you a toothbrush instead of a mop!" Chino said playfully pushing Naruto toward the Hokage's office now that they were getting close to it.  
"Wait you're coming in too! No way I'm facing an angry Grandma Tsunade by myself! You gotta tell her you're helping me."

"Do I have to?" Chino whined. "I'm sure you'll be fine on your own."  
"Will not! You're comin'. Kage Bushin no jutsu!" Suddenly Chino found herself surrounded by a group of shadow clones bent on dragging her up to the Hokage's office, whether she wanted to go or not.  
"What the ….Hey put me down! Let go! Not fair Naruto. How can you make so many of these things? This isn't supposed to be possible!"  
Naruto smiled. "I can make more if I need to. Come on guys!"  
Chino stopped protesting as it was easier to just let the clones carry her up the stairs. She didn't feel much like walking up the stairs anyway and she didn't care about the strange looks people were giving them as they worked their way up toward the office. As soon as they reached the door, she expected the shadow clones to disappear, but Naruto made sure not to get rid of them until she was inside the office with him and the door was closed behind them.

"Naruto, I understand why you're here since I ordered you to come, but why did you drag Kusannagi-san with you using your shadow clones?" Lady Tsunade questioned.  
"She promised she would help me clean so I wanted to make sure she didn't skip out on her promise."  
Lady Tsunade shook her head. "Is this true Kusannagi-san?"  
"Yes my lady, although it was Yamato-san's suggestion."  
"Oh Really? Shizune take Naruto to where he can pick up the cleaning supplies and scaffolding they will need to complete Naruto's punishment. And Naruto when you are finished you are to come get me and I will let you know if you can go home or not. Kusannagi-san I need to talk with you before you go to help Naruto."

Naruto looked like he was going to protest until he heard Chino would still be helping him. Chino motioned for him to go before he gets in more trouble. Shizune grabbed Naruto's collar so she could drag him toward the storage room with an exasperated look. Once their footsteps could be heard retreating down the hallway, Lady Tsunade began to address Chino. "Mizuki …"  
"Huh?"  
"That's your codename remember? Get used to it and don't let Naruto's cluelessness rub off on you."  
"Yes my Lady. Sorry I'll remember."  
"Good. Now there's something I wanted to confirm with you but I already think Shizune's suspicions were confirmed by your earlier comment."  
Chino thought for a moment. Comment? I barely said anything since I got here.  
"As you should have seen coming I already have a good idea why Yamato asked you to help Naruto." It was then that Chino realized she had practically admitted what she had done.

OH, that comment. OOPS Busted.

"However," Lady Tsunade continued, "I would prefer to hear your answer rather than make assumptions. Did you or did you not have any involvement in yesterday's incidents?"

"Which incidents? There seem to have been a lot of them."

Lady Tsunade looked annoyed but listed all of Chino's pranks and who they affected anyway. "Now that you know which exact incidents I was referring to I'll ask you one final time, were you involved? Be honest since there is no use in lying."

"Yes in all of them" Chino admitted.  
"Care to tell me why?"  
"An Amazon style training exercise gone wrong?"

Lady Tsunade gave an amused look this time. "Training? I've heard worse excuses. I guess I can see how sneaking up on shinobi can be considered a training exercise. I wouldn't doubt Sunako Senju permits it where you are from but we don't do those kinds of things here. Since you are helping Naruto, the matter was basically settled before you got here, and it was amusing, I'll let it go for now. Just promise me you will help Shizune with any leftover paperwork from these "training exercises" of yours AND that you will tell me first before you try something like this again."

Chino was slightly in shock but mostly relieved at what Tsunade told her. "What about Naruto?" Chino asked.  
"What about Naruto?"  
"He didn't do anything so why does he still have to be punished?"  
If it wasn't for the fact that it was a reasonable question, Lady Tsunade would have been angry to have her decision questioned. "It's easier to blame Naruto than explain what really happened since everyone thinks he did it anyway. He has a reputation. Regardless of whether or not he was involved he would have done or probably already did something worthy of being punished. He annoys me on a regular basis so I'm not concerned. This type of chore will be good for him. I'm leaving it up to your discretion as to whether or not to tell Naruto this was your fault. I couldn't care less whether he knows or not as long as he doesn't cause me any unneeded problems. You can go help Naruto with the cleaning now. Dismissed."

Chino bowed and went to find Naruto as she was told. She started thinking to herself as she walked. I really should tell Naruto what happened, but how am I going to tell him without getting him too angry? Chino arrived just in time to help carry out the last of the supplies.  
"Everything alright Kusannagi-san?" Shizune asked.  
"Yeah I think so. Just ask Lady Tsunade. She'll fill you in."  
Shizune pouted before answering with "OK, if you say so."  
Then Naruto screamed, "Wait I wanna know what's going on!"  
"I'll fill you in later Naruto, don't worry. We have to start this whole cleaning thing or we'll never finish in time to eat lunch" Chino stated trying to sound cheerful.  
"Aww, No way. Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"  
Chino shook her head as she watched Naruto bound down the hallway tripping over the supplies he was trying to carry. "Where does all his energy come from?" Chino wondered out loud.

"There has got to be an easier way to do this!" Naruto whined.  
"We haven't even started and already you're complaining! Naruto we're ninja. Of course there's an easier way."  
"HUH? I don't get it."  
Chino gave Naruto an exasperated look. "Now I know you are still a Genin but you can use at least some kind of ninjutsu right?"  
"How is ninjutsu going to help us clean a mountain?"  
"Cliff. You are a little slow. You know that right? Anyway just think about it for a minute. With a little effort and creativity ninjutsu can be adapted to do more than just fighting. And nobody said we couldn't use our abilities so why not try. Haven't you ever, at some point in your life, ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, or ninja tools, for anything other than battles or training?"  
"Well yeah sure, lots of times…."  
"Then what's so hard to get?" Chino said cutting Naruto off.

"O.K. I think I get it now! Yeah, we can use ninja skills to get the job done. Alright let's get started!" As soon as Naruto finished speaking he made like he was going to do something but stopped mid motion.  
"What are you waiting for? You just stopped for no reason."  
"Uhh….can you explain how we're going to do this again?" Naruto near mumbled in typical Naruto fashion.  
"You're kidding right?" Chino smacked her forehead in disbelief. "We are going to use ninjutsu to get this done as quickly and effectively as possible."  
"Yeah I got that already, but what kind of ninjutsu are we using again?"  
"I never mentioned anything specific since I thought it would have been obvious."  
"What's obvious?"

Before she could get a headache or throw Naruto off the cliff, Chino decided to treat Naruto like an academy student. "Okay. Normally how many people do you think it would take to clean these monuments when it's not a punishment?"  
Naruto thought for a while until she gave him a hint. "A lot of people I guess. Twenty maybe?"  
'That's a start' Chino thought. "Good, you're on the right track. But we don't have twenty people, do we?"  
"No, and Grandma Tsunade would never let us ask for help."  
"True, but isn't there a ninjutsu that will let us have more help without involving recruiting other ninja? Come on think Naruto. You used it earlier to get me here."  
"Now I get it! Kage Bushin no jutsu!"  
"Bout damn time. Shadow clones should have been an obvious answer. At least you were smart enough to hold the mop while you did that otherwise there would have been no point."  
"Now we have enough people so now what?"  
"I'm going to use my chakra to manipulate the wind so I can carry the water to the different images while your shadow clones mop. Sound simple enough?"

"What happens we need more water?"  
"Have two of your clones go take the top off that water tank down there. No need to go run around filling buckets when I can just get water from the source. Any more questions or can we get started?"  
"Can I do some training with you later?"  
"Huh? [What does this have to do with cleaning? Strange boy.] Why?"  
"I have wind chakra just like you and the only other person in Konoha with wind chakra is Asuma-sensei, but he always tells me he's too busy. The only thing he ever showed me was how to use wind chakra to make a kunai go farther."  
"That's called learning the basics. You need to master that first before you can even think of trying anything else. Wind chakra is difficult to control and it's a rare attribute. Most people never get a good handle on it since there are not many people available to teach them."  
"That's why I want to train with you. You must know lots of jutsus I can learn."

"Don't count on it. Since my clan works with birds, quite a few of my techniques involve working together with a bird. You don't have the ability to synch with a bird and that can Not be taught. Other techniques of mine are not to be taught to anyone outside of the clan unless they have direct permission from the clan leader. As rare as Wind Chakra is, my clan has a somewhat high probability of having wind natured chakra, to some degree. As a result we are the best people to ask for wind natured chakra training, so I guess I can try. Asuma-san taught you the basics of chakra flow it sounds like and that is essential to anything I could teach you as it's my specialty. If Lady Tsunade doesn't mind, or she hasn't come up with something else she would rather have me do, I'll consider it. That is, if you can help me out with something."

"What kind of something?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"I have a pile of stuff in my apartment that I need to deliver to a bunch of people here in Konoha. I have no idea where most of them live or how to find them.  
Think you can help?"  
"I can do that sure! Now when can we start training?"  
"First we have to finish this punishment and I really need to start delivering that stuff today….. so we can start tomorrow IF we get permission."  
"But I wanna start today!" Naruto whined.  
"How about you practice what you learned with Asuma-sensei today and consider it a warm-up for tomorrow so we don't waste time tomorrow. Plus I want Lady Tsunade to know what's going on before she gets even angrier with you."  
"Fine. I don't like it but I don't want Grandma Tsunade to give me anymore punishments. I don't know why I got this one in the first place."  
"You're punished because everyone thinks you're the prankster."  
"Jeez, I know that! But I didn't do anything and nobody can prove I was. Plus whoever it was pulled something on me and I wouldn't prank myself!"

"Any idea who did it if it wasn't you?" And don't mind me asking but, why DO they think it was you?"  
"Uhh….well….I kinda….uhh….pulled pranks a lot when I was still at the academy. …..And maybe a little after that. But that doesn't mean I did it this time. I don't know who did but I'd really like to find out."  
"Naruto, if you caused trouble by playing pranks on people in the past you shouldn't be surprised that they still think it's you. Anyway I can tell you who really did all the pranks. That is if you're interested."  
"Am I ever! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Then we can tell Grandma it wasn't me and she'll find them and they can get in trouble instead."

"Two problems with that theory Naruto."

"Ehh? Whatta ya mean problems?"

"1: She already knows you didn't do it and who really did.  
2: That person is already in trouble."

"Wait, she knows I didn't do it and she still is making me do this! Why? What'd I do!"  
"That I don't know and I'm not getting involved. I'll give you one guess as to who did all the pranks and is getting punished like you are."  
"Guess?...Uhh….Kiba?"  
"No, me. I said 'like you are', oh never mind"  
"You?"  
"Of course me. You think I would be doing this whole cleaning thing if I wasn't in trouble."  
Naruto looked at Chino in awe. Chino did not understand why the fox boy was staring at her with a strange expression of some emotion she could not quite identify. Before she could even register what was happening, Naruto did something she wasn't expecting. Shouting at her for getting him in trouble would have made more sense, but Naruto's actions don't always make sense.

"Sensei!" Naruto shouted unexpectedly while hugging Chino's legs.  
"What the hell! Why are you hugging me? And why my legs? Let go you strange little kitsune! What is with you? Stop I said! Don't make me attack you. So help me I will! And I'm NOT you're sensei!" Chino then proceeded to pry Naruto off her legs, who fell back in a sitting position in front of her.  
"You just said you'd train me" Naruto whined.  
"With you, I said I'll train with you. I'm in your own age group I can't be you're sensei. They're supposed to be older than you by at least a few years. You still haven't explained the hugging. Why aren't you mad at me?"  
Naruto gave Chino a puzzled look. "Why would I be mad? You're the best prankster I ever met. You're my idol!"

"Great. Just what I need" Chino said sarcastically. "Well in that case you idol says get off your ass and let's get this done so we can get lunch."  
"You payin'?" Naruto asked eagerly.  
"For myself, yes. Don't push your luck fox-boy. I might consider paying for SOME of your meal since this is my fault. We'll see how much you eat first. And you'll still have to help me deliver that stuff I mentioned earlier."

Enthusiastically Naruto replied with, "Deal, as long as you tell me about your pranks and how you did them without getting caught. It's so amazing no one could catch you."  
"It wasn't really that difficult since nobody was expecting anything to happen and they don't really know me yet. Now get back to work and I'll tell you all about it. And make those clones stop staring at me it's creepy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Next chapter will have Tsunade's verdict on how well Chino and Naruto did on their punishment and Shino's opinion of the situation resulting from Chino's pranks on the village.


	6. Shino Left Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cleaning finished, Naruto asks about training with Chino.  
> Chino meets up with Shino and his team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a continuation of the day's events from Chapter 5.  
> Shino and his Team have a significant part in this chapter.   
> References to original characters appear and one Original Character has a guest appearance near the end of the Chapter.

While Chino, Naruto, and the shadow clones worked on cleaning the Cliffside Images, the ANBU girl explained, in detail, every one of her pranks and the precautions that were taken to keep from getting caught. Once or twice Chino could have sworn she saw one of the clones taking notes. As soon as Chino finished, Naruto started making comments.

"You got everyone I know. Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, Kakashi, Iruka, they're all our old teachers. I didn't think anyone could prank them. I don't really know Kotetsu and Izumo too well so I don't really care what happened to them too much. Same goes for the crazy Chunin exam proctors. All those others were people I went to the academy with, or took the Chunin exams with. We all still go on missions together sometimes and hang out. Wait a minute….. Sakura, Shikamaru, Kiba, Bushy Brows, Hinata, Neji, Chouji, Ino, Tenten, me …. Hey! You missed someone, … I think."  
"Yeah, I didn't bother with Shino Aburame."  
Naruto's face grew wide with surprise. "Wait, you Didn't do anything to Shino! He's not gonna like being left out."

"What sane person would actually be upset that someone didn't try to mess up their day? That doesn't make any sense. Are you sure he's really not going to like being the only one spared from pranks?"  
Naruto waited a minute before answering in an attempt to think of a way to explain Shino's possible reaction. However, thinking is not one of Naruto's strong points, and he never really did understand Shino. He decided to just do the best he could.  
"Shino hates being left out of anything. It doesn't really matter what or why. He still won't drop how he wasn't involved in our big mission to save Sasuke from Orochimaru. Now anytime another mission that could be important comes up he tries to get on it. Then he acts like he has to do real good to make up for not being on that mission or shows off and rubs it in on how good he is and make us feel bad about how much better off we would have been if he had come. I don't really get Shino, but that's what Kiba told me. Since he's on the guy's team I guess he would know. Shino acts like we did it on purpose, but he wasn't around at the time and it's not like we were gonna wait for him to show up while those guys were getting away."

Chino looked disappointed to hear such an answer. "Naruto you could have just said he had some sort of complex about being left out. That would have been enough information since now I feel kinda bad about not torturing him which makes no sense whatsoever."  
"Uhh, Kusannagi-san why Did you leave Shino out, instead of one of the adults?"  
"That's easy. I was on a mission with him once that lasted a couple of days. I swear those bugs are psychic! They always sensed when I was close to him so they would have made it difficult not to get caught. I didn't want to get caught so I just skipped him instead of waiting for the bugs to stop me."  
Everything seemed to make sense now so Naruto just ended up agreeing with Chino that she made the right choice at the time with a repeated nod of his head. With that matter settled, Chino and Naruto finished up the punishment chore. Things went smoothly after that, mainly, and only a minimum number of shadow clones had to be destroyed for doing something stupid. As soon as the pair believed they were finished they went to get Tsunade so they could be allowed to leave.

"You finished sooner than I expected. You better have done a good job and I better not find any kind of graffiti or other form of damage to the Images" Tsunade commented as Chino and Naruto made their declaration of the completion of the chore. She was also a little annoyed that the two young shinobi clearly had raced to her office door. The thud against the door instead of the knocking she was expecting was proof enough that someone could not slowdown in time to stop themselves from colliding with the door. Tsunade was also willing to bet money on the fact that someone being Naruto, but she was unsure of whether or not that meant he had won the race.  
Better to place bets on things you're sure to win she thought even though she didn't always follow her own advice. If she did she wouldn't be deep in debt and using mission profits to slowly pay it off.

Chino spoke up dragging Tsunade from her thoughts.  
"We didn't damage anything and I think you will be really pleased with our efforts Lady Tsunade-sama."  
"I'll be the judge of that. If the work is acceptable you will then be dismissed. If not, you will continue working until it is."  
Naruto and Chino stepped out of the way for Tsunade to walk out of the office, followed closely by Shizune and Tonton. Then the two younger shinobi followed behind, one noticeably at a slower pace.  
"Next time, don't race to my office and you won't get hurt unnecessarily" Lady Tsunade said flatly. Naruto blushed while Chino and Shizune giggled.

Once the group got outside, Tsunade stopped short nearly causing everyone else to walk into each other. Naruto had tripped over Tonton and landed on his face, but nobody noticed. "Surprisingly you two have actually seemed to have done an excellent job. Well since you're done here you may be dismissed."  
"Hey Naruto we're just in time for lunch."  
"Yeah lunch time! Alright! Ichiraku Ramen, here we come!" Naruto screamed enthusiastically.  
"Wait a minute Naruto. I don't remember deciding on where we were going for lunch," Chino pointed out to an obviously clueless Naruto.  
"We didn't? I thought we did. What's wrong with Ichiraku's?"  
Honestly Chino did not really care where they went to lunch since she still didn't know enough about the village to have an opinion. "Nothing's wrong, it's just common courtesy to ask rather than make decisions for everyone else" Chino teased.

Naruto looked a little upset, not understanding Chino wasn't being serious. Tsunade and Shizune were amused and tried covering up their amusement by turning away. "Sorry. Is it O.K. if we eat at Ichiraku's? I really want some good ramen and they have the best."  
"No problem Naruto. Now wasn't there something you wanted to ask the Hokage before we leave?" Tsunade started paying attention to the pair at the mention of her name.  
"What did you need to ask me?"  
Naruto stared blankly at the Hokage before finally saying "Uhh, hold on I'll remember. It was something important ..." Chino leaned over and whispered in Naruto's ear. "Ohh yeah! Hey Grandma, can I train with her?" Naruto said while pointing at Chino.

Tsunade considered the possibility for a moment. This can either work out very well or go horribly wrong, she thought. They have shown to be able to work together but they are both pranksters and could potentially cause even more trouble than it's worth. After some further consideration she made her decision. "You can train with her ONLY if you follow these restrictions:"

1\. Yamato must be present in case the Kyubi starts to show itself  
2\. You can only train no more than twice a week  
3\. You inform me of when you will start and finish training every day you train.  
4\. You can't train any day that she is needed elsewhere or when you have something else you should be doing instead  
5\. Finally, you must continue your training with Kakashi

"Is that understood?"

Naruto started jumping in the air screaming "Alright! Thanks Grandma!"  
"Now we can go to lunch Naruto. I just have to find Taka first." Then Chino bowed while pulling a struggling Naruto into a bow so they could leave. As they walked, Naruto chattered about all the things he expected to get out of training with Chino. Chino just made random responses to keep Naruto from noticing that she wasn't really paying any attention to him. She was too busy tracking down/calling out to her hawk to have any interest in the young jinchuriki's babbling. Not far from the ramen stand the ninja hawk finally appeared.  
"There you are Taka. See that ramen stand over there, the one called Ichiraku's? That's where we are going for lunch. I need you to get this message off to a bird that can carry it to the Amazon village. I don't think I need to say who it's for right?" Taka nodded his head knowing for certain who it was his partner needed to send a message to without having to look at the name on it. "As soon as you're done come back to get some lunch 'kay. We'll wait for ya" Chino finished assured her hawk would get the job done.

Naruto watched the hawk fly off, temporarily distracting him from his desire to stuff his face full of ramen. "Why'd ya need to send a message off to that whatcha call it …. Amazon Village? Can't Grandma Tsunade let 'em know you got here alright?"  
Chino looked annoyed, clearly wanting to avoid the subject. "She probably could but there is a specific person there who gave me very specific orders to send a message to them personally. Since I'm not crazy enough to ignore an order from that person when they're angry and dead serious, there's more of a chance of hell freezing over then me ignoring such an order. I'll probably get an angry lecture via scroll over being a day late as it is, and Konoha would experience a whole new kind of chaos if that person does not get what they want. Think of it this way. Just like how Shino-san has a thing about being left out, this person has a thing for not being able to control everything or not getting the information they feel they require. Just drop it and let's go get lunch."

"If this person can make you do whatever they want they must be an awesome, powerful ninja!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.  
"Yeah, that person is really something alright. You never know if you may meet them someday. Until then don't start getting any ideas. You may end up surprised or disappointed if you build this up too much."  
Naruto made a dismissive sound before taking his seat at the ramen stand. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a white blur came hurtling at Chino, knocking her to the ground before she could sit. Naruto looked at what was until recently only a white blur seconds before and cried out "Hey isn't that ….."

"AKAMARU!" a familiar voice cut in yelling at the large dog. "HEY, what are you doing? Get off her. I'm sorry I don't know what's gotten into him. He usually won't go anywhere near strangers" Kiba quickly apologized. From behind him the other members of his team could be seen.  
Then Shino spoke up with "I do believe that means Akamaru has met her before Kiba. It's rude not to recognize allies."  
"Shino what Are you talking about? I don't remember working with her before." Chino was amused by the whole situation but was too concerned with getting Akamaru to stop licking her face to say anything until now.  
"Kiba calm down it's not that big a deal. He's just excited to see me again. Isn't that right Akamaru?" As Chino said her last statement she leaned in to hug Akamaru and give him a good scratch behind the ears. Akamaru rolled over to have his belly rubbed, further confusing everyone but Shino since he was the only who had seen Chino's face before (ch. 2).

"Akamaru sure does seem to like you" Hinata near whispered while trying not to faint as Naruto said hi to her.

Just then Taka returned and landed on Akamaru's head as he sat up. "Finished already Taka? Good timing we haven't even ordered yet." Then turning to face Kiba, Chino continued. "Still don't remember us lil Zuka?"  
Kiba blushed brightly upon hearing the embarrassing nickname. "What's the matter pup?" Chino teased sensing his embarrassment.  
"Now I remember you!" Kiba screamed. "Akamaru get away from that crazy ANBU bird girl you traitor!"  
Hinata quickly tried to calm her teammate but her efforts were in vain. Kiba kept right on screaming and ranting anyway.  
"Hinata I am Not going to calm down. Don't you remember? That's the psycho ANBU girl and her bird that "helped" us on a mission and tortured me the whole time!"  
Chino tried to look innocent. "Not the whole time" she responded sarcastically. "Sometimes I played with Akamaru, or talked with Hinata-san and Kurenai-san, And I did do mission related stuff to."  
"You're in ANBU?" Naruto asked completely off topic.  
"That's the only thing you're interested in? Naruto weren't you listening? The girl's nuts and evil!" Kiba yelled indignantly.  
"She's still an ally and you are the only one she bothered. That's not enough to declare someone insane or evil."  
Chino looked up from her spot on the floor next to Akamaru. "Thanks Shino-san. By the way you can call me Kusannagi-san. It's nice to meet all of you again. Can we eat now?"

Kiba opened his mouth to protest but Hinata mentioned that she was hungry as well and Naruto had already ordered, so he changed his mind. Once everyone had their food, Naruto asked about what Chino had done to make Kiba say she was crazy and evil. Not surprisingly, Chino had played all kinds of tricks on him, from messing with his equipment or hiding his belongings, to dying his hair pink and using jutsus to stick him to Akamaru and random trees. This of course led to talk of the most recent pranks occurring in Konoha. Chino listened intently while the others talked, trying not to add her own opinions. Kiba insisted that nothing was done to him.  
"Hana didn't give me that impression when I saw her earlier" Chino reminded him while Naruto fell out of his chair laughing.  
"Someone played a prank on me too if that makes you feel better Kiba-kun" Hinata offered, trying to diffuse the situation.

That prompted Shino to remark on how no one had tried a prank on him.  
"Lucky!" Kiba complained.  
"I don't see how being left out of something to which all of one's comrades is involved is lucky."  
"Shino this isn't a mission we're talking about here!" Kiba reminded him. "Pranks mess up your whole day. They are NOT something any one of us wanted to be a part of. It just happened." Before Shino could answer Kiba, Chino wanted to ask him a question that had been bothering her.

"Shino why Are you upset that you weren't involved when everyone else is clearly upset that they were?"

Shino got very serious before responding with a reason that Chino wasn't really expecting. "It is the principle of the thing. Comrades should be able to experience things together and not leave anyone out." Kiba's expression turned from pissed off to aggravated. "Shino you seriously need to get over not going on the Sasuke rescue mission. We did Not leave you out on purpose." From behind his sunglasses and long coat it was nearly impossible to tell whether or not Shino was becoming more upset.  
"If you want me to stop talking about it then you need to stop talking about things that happened on that mission while you are around me. That is what good comrades would do for each other."  
Obviously angry, Kiba stood up and tried to get in Shino's face. "Now wait a minute Shino! Are you trying to say I'm not a ….."

"Down boy" Chino commanded while pulling Kiba back down to his seat by his shirt collar. "On that happy note, Naruto, it's time for us to go. Don't complain. You've had more than enough to eat and I want to get the majority of that stuff delivered before dinner or Lady Tsunade comes up with something she wants me to do for her. Come on Taka! Hinata-san, goodbye and thanks for your help. Shino-san, Dog …" then as if as an afterthought "Akamaru." As Naruto, Chino and Taka went to leave, Kiba tried to yell about being called a dog, but Shino stopped him. Shino then paid his bill and followed Chino and Naruto.

"Uhh… why are you following us? Did you need something?" Chino questioned. An awkward moment of silence later Shino answered with "I'm going to help you with your errand. It's important to aid allies and build bonds of cooperation."  
Naruto made a strange face at Shino. "What are you talking about?"  
"Naruto that's not important right now. Shino-san I appreciate the offer but it's not necessary. Naruto's only helping because it's part of a previous arrangement."  
Shino was undeterred by Chino's words since he was determined not to take no for an answer. "I was under the impression that you wanted this done quickly. Three people will be able to deliver the items faster than only two."  
I'm starting to think this is a new manifestation of his being left out complex, Chino thought. "If you really want to help, … you do have a point, …so… I guess you can come too. All you would have to do is figure out where the people who get these documents and such live so they can be delivered and finally be out of my apartment."

With that matter settled, the three shinobi and one ninja hawk went to the apartment to pick up the deliveries. First the packages and documents needed to be sorted by name since they had gotten all mixed up while inside the storage scroll. Then the items needed to be organized by location since Shino suggested that it would make it easier to deliver them. Chino and Naruto agreed with the bug handler since it made sense to go to only a few locations rather than waste time constantly running from one end of the village to the other. As they were doing this Naruto found the present Chino's father, Akihiko, had given her before she had left for Konoha. She didn't really feel like opening the gift in front of her guests but Shino kept insisting that it was rude not to open it, even if it was potentially embarrassing. The Amazon ANBU finally gave up moving the box around the room so she could open it and silence the annoying bug boy.

For once Akihiko didn't especially fail at choosing a gift for his daughter. Inside the box that Chino had previously considered using as a paperweight or a ball to start a game of catch with the little jinchuriki, was a necklace. It was made of a thick cord slightly longer than that of a choker with a small disk shaped pendant in the middle. On the front of the pendant was an image of an owl similar to the kind of owl her mother had for a partner. Turning it over, carved into the back of the pendant, Chino saw the Kusannagi clan insignia of a crescent moon hanging on an angle with a kunai going through a feather in the space where the rest of the moon should be (*moon on far left, feather on left tilting in same direction, and kunai coming in from the right on an opposite angle*).  
"How come it's an owl on that necklace instead of a hawk like you have? Did he screw up or something?"  
Chino shook her head. "No Naruto this is not a mistake. A long time ago my clan worshipped a goddess whose symbol was an owl like this one. Within our clan, a pendant like this is still considered today as a good luck charm meant to protect the wearer. Before you ask that's our clan symbol on the back. Now if you don't have any more questions can we please get these deliveries started?"

Since Naruto did not have any further questions the little group was able to begin and as soon as they started delivering the packages and documents Chino was glad that Shino had insisted on helping. He was certainly better at finding where each of the people lived and he was by far, better than Naruto at giving directions. When Chino decided to share her observation with her male companions, Naruto immediately began launching excuses. Somehow Shino found a way to shut Naruto down with his rational, yet emotionless, but never the less true statements every time until Naruto simply ran out of things to say. Mainly thanks to Shino the deliveries were completed quickly until one bundle of items remained to be delivered, the one for the Hyuga compound.

"I'll do this group myself after dinner since Hinata-san already told me how to get to her home and she asked me to have tea with her and her family. Thanks for the help boys. Hey Naruto I'll leave a message with Iruka-san as to when and where we can start wind chakra training 'kay?" Luckily for Chino, Naruto agreed to leave without protest so she was left alone to make dinner with what she picked up while delivering the stuff. As she said, Chino and Taka went to the Hyuga compound with their delivery. In typical Chino fashion, the young ANBU and her bird snuck in through the back. Barely onto the Hyuga compound grounds, but still close to the houses, Chino and Taka were stopped by a familiar voice calling out to them.

"What are you doing here?" Chino turned around quickly to tease the person belonging to the voice.  
"Doing your job apparently since you're so hard to find."  
Chino's cousin Misaki got annoyed at his fellow clan member and started arguing with the older girl. The two Kusannagi clan members' bird partners also became involved in the argument. Though decidedly Misaki's small kestrel was at a disadvantage against Chino's larger hawk. The ensuing ruckus, which was bound to happen, was suspicious enough to draw the attention of a certain Hyuga who was not amused at being disturbed by the cousins pointless quarreling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: There will also finally be a description of what Chino and Misaki look like (and their birds) in either the next chapter or chapter 8. I have a drawing I did of what Taka looks like I might put a link to the image eventually.


	7. Chino meets Neji … Again (No Main Branch?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events in this Chapter happen on the same day as Chapters 5 & 6\. The beginning of the story switches back and forth between Neji's point of view and a narrator's. Neji also switches back and forth between using his Byakugan and normal eyesight (since that's the only way he can see color). Neji's thoughts are in bolded italics and later in the story some of his dialogue is entirely in italics to tell him apart from the other characters.

After finishing dinner in the main house, Neji Hyuga decided to take a walk around the compound before starting his evening training. It was a cool evening and the sun had not yet started to set. Neji was enjoying the evening air and the calm tranquility that came from the near silent atmosphere that surrounded this section of the grounds. He started to become lost in the quiet and let his mind begin to wander back to earlier days when the house was often this quiet. Suddenly Neji was caught off guard as he detected the presence of an unknown chakra. Then with little warning, the first unknown source of chakra was joined by a second.

Activating his Byakugan, Neji scanned the rear entrance of a building along the back wall of the Hyuga compound where he had sensed the unfamiliar chakras. Who would be brazen enough to intrude on the Hyuga compound at sunset? Neji thought as he stealthily moved toward the intruders. As he crept closer he could hear two people arguing over something and two birds, one with each person, were adding their shrieking cries to the ruckus. From what Neji could see with his Byakugan, the intruders seemed to be shinobi, even though they weren't acting like shinobi at the moment. Actually they were acting more like little children in a schoolyard than anything else which irritated Neji supremely. Why can't they take their petty, ridiculous feuding somewhere else?

Neji decided to switch back and forth between his Byakugan and normal sight so he could have a more detailed description of this strange pair. The first of the two shinobi that had arrived to disrupt Neji's peaceful evening was taller than the second shinobi and appeared to be the older of the two in Neji's mind. This shinobi was actually a kunoichi with a medium sized hawk with mainly reddish brown colored feathers except for a black stripe on its head. The hawk had landed on a low hanging branch of a nearby tree and since Neji could see some of the hawk's back, he could see with his reactivated Byakugan, that it was wearing a thin chain collar with a plate bearing the leaf village symbol against its back. This really confused Neji. I don't understand this. That hawk wears the Leaf Village's symbol and so does the woman but I don't recognize that bird or its kunoichi owner. Does that other shinobi and his bird also claim to be of the Leaf Village?

Looking more closely with his Byakugan, Neji could see that the male shinobi and his kestrel did indeed wear the Leaf Village symbol. The shinobi had a forehead protector with a red band which he had hanging from his belt in much the same way as the woman he was arguing with (only her forehead protector had a greenish brown band and her belt was far more ornately designed). On each of the male shinobi's bird's legs was a small band. One band had the symbol of the Leaf Village and carved into the other there was a crescent moon with a kunai running through a feather above the crescent. Is that a clan symbol? Neji thought. Are they from a mercenary clan from another nation here as spies? Neji decided to examine these unknown ninja's more closely before deciding whether or not he should attack them.

First he examined the appearance of the smaller male ninja. His outfit was like a cross between a standard ANBU and Leaf Village Chunin uniform. While looking at him without the Byakugan Neji could see that the only exceptions to the standard appearance of his clothes was the bright red stitching that matched his forehead protector and an unfamiliar insignia on his shirt sleeve. His boots were also sturdier than what the ninja of Konoha usually wore; causing Neji to think that he must spend most of his time traveling. Slightly less than average height, an average build, and average weight, made this shinobi out to likely be no threat to Neji. His short cropped light brown hair and boyish looks made him seem all the more like a child throwing a tantrum before a babysitter.

Clearly, between the two, Neji decided, much to his surprise, that the kunoichi was more of a threat and it looked like she was winning whatever argument they were having. Even her bird seemed more intimidating in comparison to the other shinobi and his bird. The kunoichi was over a full head taller than the one she was arguing with. Everything about her appearance seemed different and a slight bit unusual. Most likely she's unpredictable like Naruto with that eccentric style. He also couldn't shake the feeling that he should know her but he couldn't recall anything about her identity or where he might know her from. Her clothes and hair make her stick out so why am I having trouble placing her?

The kunoichi had hair of a darker shade of brown than the male and it had reddish highlights. It reached down to just below her shoulder blades. On one side of her face there were three thin braids that ran down longer than the rest of hair, reaching somewhere around her elbows. Most of her hair was kept loose while a decent amount of her hair was pulled into a bun-like style with the ends hanging out the bottom to flow over the rest of her hair. She was wearing a choker style necklace, which when he used his Byakugan, on it he could see an owl was carved. With the exception of her face and the ends of her fingers, her entire body was covered by her clothes which were unusual to see in the kunoichi of Konoha. Her shirt was long sleeved with the upper part of the sleeves being more faded than the lower portion, suggesting she usually wore something over her sleeves. [Bracers perhaps? was what Neji was thinking.]

Without his Byakugan, he could see her shirt was divided in half and the lower half of the shirt was an apple green color and the upper part of the shirt was further divided into an x-shaped pattern. The sleeves were separated from the main pattern by heavy decorative leather, criss-crossing stitching. This top part of the shirt and the sleeves was shades of lighter browns with a just a little of the same apple green color around the neck. All together the entire pattern combined with the rest of her outfit gave off the general impression of the wings and body of a bird which is what had caught Neji's attention. She also wore simple dark charcoal gray pants that were covered with a dark forest green colored skirt. The skirt was further covered on the one side by a chocolate and mahogany colored guard similar to Neji. Her forest green socks also covered some of the bottom of her pants as they stuck out from inside deep brown colored decorated boots. Neji could see the bag that held the kunoichi's ninja tools on the leg not covered by the guard skirt but, for some reason he could not see inside it with his Byakugan. Strange…. Neji thought, what kind of substance could that bag be made out of that it can actually block the Byakugan? I will have to ask this stranger after I defeat her, should it come to a battle. With his analysis complete, Neji decided to start paying more attention to what the pair of ninja was arguing over in hopes that their argument could be used to discover something about their identities and/or reason for being at the Hyuga compound.

** Author's extra note: For much of the argument Chino's dialogue will be marked with a (K) [for kunoichi] and Misaki's dialogue will be marked with an (M) [for male shinobi] since this is meant to be how Neji perceives them and he doesn't know them yet. **

From where he was hidden, Neji could hear the argument clearly. "Stop treating me like a little kid. We're not that far apart in age!" the male shouted.  
"It's not my fault you're so short and still look like a child. Misaki you could blend in at the academy if you really wanted to. And you act like a child too" the kunoichi shouted back at the smaller shinobi.  


(M) "I act like a child! What about you?"  
(K) "What about me?"  
(M) "Don't give me that! You're the one who likes to pull pranks just like a kid. You never take anything seriously. I can't believe our clan's leader still allows you to go on missions. You don't even follow orders properly!"  
(K) "Hey! I do take things seriously ...sometimes... and so what if I play a few pranks and have my own interpretations of mission orders? At least I'm around to do my missions."  
(M) "What's that supposed to mean?"  
(K) "You're a slacker so I had to be sent here to do your job since you were nowhere to be found. You think I would be here otherwise?"  
(M) "How am I supposed to know why you're here? Nobody understands why you do anything you do. And I'm not a slacker. I just got back from a mission!"  
(K) "Likely story."  
(M) "It's not a story and I can prove it."  
(K) "Go ahead. I'd love to see your proof."  
(M) "Are you trying to start a fight with me?"  
(K) "Maybe. Like you could actually win. Taka could beat you two all on his own."  
(M) "He can't! Don't underestimate us. Soramaru and I aren't that weak."  
(K) "You don't have to get all worked up. I'm just messin' with you. I'm not actually gonna fight you. You have a kestrel for a reason. Face it, in terms of battle strength you are weaker than us, and we would get in a lot of trouble for starting a fight here."

Neji had heard enough. Unfortunately, he did not really learn anything from what he did hear. The only useful information he was able to sort out of all that whining was that the boy was called Misaki, the birds were Taka and Soramaru, they were part of the same clan, and they were on some sort of mission. As to what the mission was and how it involved the Hyuga clan he still did not know, but he was determined to find out. He had to intervene before their arguing disturbed anyone else. Mainly he just wanted to shut the two up before the headache he was getting turned into a migraine. Now all Neji had to do was decide on a course of action. Most effective would be to approach the two and address them directly, so that is what Neji decided he would do. One of the two intruders had already been implied as being weak so Neji thought at least the one called Misaki wouldn't be a challenge if they decided to fight him.

As Neji approached he stopped trying to mask his chakra so as not to appear as if he came intending to fight. Since the shinobi were too involved in their petty arguing, their bird companions were the first to notice Neji. The birds immediately tensed and took up defensive postures. Noticing the change in the birds, the kunoichi quickly turned to face Neji in a defensive stance ready to fight. Misaki, thinking Chino was ignoring him or messing with him further, had not taken any notice of the fact that he and his cousin were no longer alone. One call from his kestrel snapped Misaki back to reality and he finally turned to look at what all the fuss was about. Neji was temporarily distracted initially, so for what felt like hours, the three shinobi and two birds just stared at each other until Neji collected himself and could speak to the others. The reason Neji was distracted was because he thought, at least for an instant, one of the kunoichi's eyes had changed in both shape and color. I must have imagined it, Neji thought to himself in surprise.

"Who are you two and why have you come to the Hyuga compound?" Neji questioned the two unfamiliar shinobi sternly. Misaki became very uneasy but made no attempt to answer Neji or retreat. Chino recognized Neji and fell out of her defensive stance. Neji could not decipher what their behavior meant and he was growing impatient with their lack of verbal responses. "Answer me or do I have to resort to violence to obtain the information I seek?"

The kunoichi was the first to respond to Neji's questioning. "Hello again. I see you're not in any better of a mood then you were when I saw you earlier."  
Misaki panicked as he tried to get his cousin's attention. "What are you doing? Don't talk to him you'll get me in trouble!"  
"Huh? I don't get it. Why the hell not?" Chino asked, confused.

Before they could start arguing again Neji cut in on their conversation. "I know you somehow?"  
"Well not exactly," Chino explained, "I saw you earlier today but I didn't really talk with you then. This morning I helped get the spandex twins under control. No offense but whoever decided to put you on their team did it as some kind of a cruel joke."  
"You were at the hospital this morning? I'm sorry I didn't recognize you" Neji apologized even though he wasn't sure why he was apologizing to an intruder.  
Chino gave him a quick smile. "Don't worry about it. You were stressed out and distracted. Taka wasn't with me at the time, plus I had on a coat this morning that covered most of my outfit. Before you ask why I was there I was with Naruto actually. He felt it necessary to check on Sai and dragged me along. I don't really know what he was thinking. Why would I want to go with him when I'm the one who put Sai in the hospital in the first place. Most likely I'm the last person that little ROOT freak wants to see right now."

Neji wasn't sure how to respond to such statements. Without thinking he ended up blurting out "You put Sai in the hospital" in a very unNeji like fashion.  
"Don't worry about it. He pissed me off, I punched him without holding back, he passed out, Yamato-san got all worried, but its fine now 'cause he's going to get out soon and Lady Tsunade hasn't and won't punish me for it." Chino said that last part happily with a mischievous grin.  
"I can't believe you're getting away with that" was all Misaki could say as he was still in disbelief.  
"And I'm not gonna apologize either and you of all people should know why Misaki" Chino said smugly. "That's what he gets for being a freakish, socially awkward, ROOT puppet, and posing like a male escort."  
Neji stared at the kunoichi still confused as to whether or not to trust her. "How do you know Sai's originally from ROOT and what did you mean by escort?"

Chino made a face while she decided on how to best explain her statements. "First off its easy to tell which ANBU were in ROOT. That robotic quality they have and it's so obvious there's something off about all of them. It comes from that unnatural way they act like their all devoid of emotion. C-r-e-e-p-y. My unit actually tried to do a variation of ROOT training with me and this other ANBU kunoichi and a few others from our village but it didn't really work out. It was meant to be an anti-ROOT unit. Whenever you ask anyone what the reasoning behind what happened with the two of us it was …." Chino paused while she was thinking back. "No one was really all too clear with the explanation, something about our emotions being dangerous….." Her voice started to trail off while Misaki shuddered unseen behind Chino's back and the birds cringed. "They keep avoiding giving us a straight answer but never mind that I'm going off topic."  
Neji made a mental note to make sure he got an explanation out of Misaki later.  
"Anyway," Chino continued, "I guess I should explain how our village is technically a secret branch of this village so I've worked with Konoha shinobi before. I'm part of an ANBU unit that's dedicated to loyally serving the Hokage. It's kind of ingrained in us to hate and attack ROOT ANBU and it didn't help that he was provoking me. PLUS he dresses like a sl…."

Misaki drowned out the last word with an I'm not listening humming sound that annoyed both Neji and Chino (not to mention it reminded Chino of a certain team leader back home). Chino covered Misaki's mouth in an attempt to silence the annoying sounds he was making. "As I was saying, only someone in that kind of distasteful kind of work should be dressed like that. I've been forced to put up with a female version of someone like him for years and I was hoping to escape his perverted exhibitionist kind." With her statement finished she let Misaki go who promptly looked at Chino in confusion.  
"HUH?"  
Chino frowned at her cousin and said only one word as if that one thing could sum up years of situations and information.

"Rinku"

Misaki whispered "Never mind" in response. Neji decided he really didn't want to know what that was all about or who this person was to which they were referring.

"You still haven't answered my original question" Neji reminded the others. "Who are you exactly and why have you come to this compound."  
Chino was unaffected by the tone of Neji's voice. "Sorry" she said a little sarcastically, "this is my cousin Misaki and while I'm here Lady Tsunade gave me the codename Mizuki, but you can call me Kusannagi-san. That's what I've been telling everyone else."  
Misaki suddenly broke in with "why are you using our clan? Should you be doing that?"  
Chino patted her cousin on the head as if she was comforting a small child. "Don't worry I have permission and aren't you using your real name?"  
"I'm not in ANBU it's different."  
Once again, Neji had to intervene to prevent another argument from ensuing. "You said your names were Misaki and Mizuki Kusannagi correct?" Neji repeated to confirm their identities should he need to report them to someone later.  
"Yeah they rhyme I get it, the Hokage has a real sense of humor" Chino stated as if she was oblivious to why Neji wanted them to restate their names. "Anyway," Chino continued, "he's here 'cause he works here and I'm here 'cause he's slacking on the job."

Misaki quickly tried to get his cousin to stop talking. "Hey! Quit it! What's your problem?" Chino yelled at him.  
"What do you mean he works here? I've never seen him before. What do you do for my family?" Neji inquired of Chino and Misaki.  
"Uuuhhhh….nothing..important…." Misaki stuttered.  
Chino stared at him in shock. "Why are you lying? You meet with his uncle and the elders on a regular basis. He lives in the main branch house. Shouldn't everyone in the main branch know who you are and what you do? Our clan has been working with the Hyuga clan for generations." Chino did not notice Neji's growing discomfort at her words. Misaki did since he was watching Neji closely and pulled Chino toward him so he could whisper in her ear. Neji strained to listen to the flustered boy but it did not matter that he could not hear what Misaki was saying because Chino didn't try to hide her shocked response.

"What do you mean only the main branch is allowed to know about your job? His uncle's the clan leader right?" Finally Chino turned to face Neji. He had gone pale and was intently staring at the floor. "You're not main branch are you?" Chino asked him as she came to the realization that she may have been working off of a false assumption. She took Neji's hesitation as a confirmation of what she had already guessed. "Oh - MY - Kunai! You're NOT main branch. Man I screwed up. I just thought that since Hinata-san refers to you as Onii-san, even though you guys are cousins, that you must have been taken into the main branch. Guess you don't know then. …. I'll tell you ….. if you want me to that is."

"You can't do that!" Misaki screamed panicking again.  
"Why not? This is your job Not mine. There's nothing stopping me. I'm sure his uncle won't mind and he was bound to find out eventually. I can't see Hinata-san keeping this a secret from him forever."  
Now it was Misaki's turn to look pale. "I'm not so sure about this but I guess I can't get in trouble if you're the one to say something to him."  
Chino smiled, happy to be getting her way. "That's more like it. Neji-san are you listening?" Neji just nodded, his pride still a little wounded from Chino's earlier social blunder. "Our clan, the Kusannagi clan of the Village of Amazons, specializes in information, gathering, analysis, and delivery. Misaki is one of a long line of our clan members to act as the Hyuga clan's liaison to our information network. So pretty much if the clan leader, elders, or higher ups of the main branch of the Hyuga clan wants information or records on just about anything or anyone, it's Misaki's job to get it for them."

"I see" was Neji's neutral toned response. After he processed the information for a while, and it was quiet since the Kusannagi's were waiting for more of a response. "If your clan specializes in handling information, do you have some information gathering role in ANBU?"

"Sort of. Taka and I usually do scouting or tracking related missions because of our skills with the Kusannagi clan's specific abilities, but we do undercover sometimes."  
"I believe you said you weren't associated with the ANBU correct?"  
Misaki wasn't paying attention so he wasn't expecting to be asked a question. "What? ANBU? No I'm not in ANBU. My branch of the family tends not to end up with those kinds of jobs."  
In spite of himself Neji was curious as to how another clan operates in comparison to his own. "Your clan has more than one branch too? Then do different branches have specific assignments and occupations?"

"Exactly" Misaki started to explain, "Only the occupations aren't really assigned usually. They're more like the results of trends and following your parents."  
"Yeah" Chino cut in, "My father is a well-respected ANBU captain, in his own way, and Misaki's dad worked here up until last year, doing what he's doing now."  
Neji questioned the pair further. "Your clan also works with birds judging from the hawk and kestrel following you. Would I be correct in my estimation?"  
"That's right" Chino answered. "Just like the Inuzukas of Konoha, every Kusannagi clan member is eventually matched with an animal partner. We call it bonding. Generally this happens between 5 and 10 years old, but rarely it happens earlier than that. I don't know how it happens with the Inuzukas, but for us the birds choose their partners, not the other way around. Then after you work with your partner for a while you can do combination jutsus with them in battle."  
"That all sounds very interesting" Neji commented. Although that's what he said it's not really what he wanted to say.

There was something else he wanted to ask but he wasn't really sure as to how to address the topic. Since he couldn't figure out a way to get the Kusannagi clan members to volunteer the information he was truly interested in, he had no other option but to ask directly. "Before you mentioned you were in different branches of your clan. Would one of you be from the main branch and the other a branch family?"  
"So that's what you really wanted to know isn't it?" Chino teased. She had been thinking there was something Neji really wanted to ask and now it made sense. Chino had a feeling that the main branch of the Hyuga clan must not always treat him well since he is only a branch member.  
"Uhh, that's not really the case" Misaki mumbled trying his best to find a way to answer Neji's question without making him more uncomfortable.

"Your cousin's actions made it seem as if one of you might have a higher standing in the clan …" Neji stated trying to explain himself, but Chino cut him off midsentence.  
"I do, but not because I'm a main branch member. Our clan did away with the whole main branch, branch family thing long ago, sometime around the founding of Konoha actually. But even before that there wasn't much of a distinction between the branches except for the types of duties and jobs each branch tended to take on."  
"I don't understand" Neji said with what Chino thought was a hint of sadness.  
"It probably sounds unusual to someone who is used to the Hyuga clan structure but, what determines clan status is not what branch you're born into. Clan leaders are not necessarily from the old main branch either" Misaki offered as an explanation.  
This seemed to hurt Neji even more. Chino decided to pick up where Misaki's explanation left off.  
"Our clan believes that ability rather than birth should determine eligibility for clan leadership. The clan council and current clan leader nominate and review potential candidates and then choose the next leader. When it comes to status, regardless of what branch you are from, what bird bonds with you determines that."

Neji looked even more confused. "How can a bird determine your status? That doesn't seem practical."  
"In our clan it is" Misaki started "the kind of bird that chooses to be with you is thought to be a reflection of your personality and potential. Every type of bird represents a certain group of characteristics. Those characteristics determine how people see you and what type of job training you receive."  
"Essentially, birds like kestrels are not that highly valued in comparison to hawks, so that's why I have a higher clan status, among other things" Chino stated bluntly to Misaki's disapproval.  
"I think I'm beginning to understand, "Neji said reflectively.  
"There's lots of jobs that are available. Some people act as liaisons like me, others become ANBU like my cousin ….."  
"Like we have a choice" Chino interrupted Misaki. Neji gave the pair a strange look. He still wasn't so sure how reliable they were.  
"Ignore her" Misaki all but ordered, "she's just mad that our clan members aren't really allowed to join three man teams."  
"Why?" Neji inquired.  
"It's complicated and frustrating" Chino grumbled.

Misaki completely ignored Chino's pouting. "Our clan also raises the birds shinobi use to send messages while on missions or for between villages, we oversee the ninja postman, and some of us take permanent undercover positions in either allied or enemy nations."

"Alright I think I have had enough of this history lesson. I have to deliver this stuff to Hiashi –sama and by now I'm late to tea with Hinata-san. Nice to meet you again Neji-san but I'm leaving now. See you inside." Chino waved at the remaining shinobi before turning to leave.  
"Wait!" Neji called after her. "Allow me to escort you."  
"No need. I know where I'm going."  
"Kusannagi-san, the compound is quite large and you only just arrived, you could get lost."  
"Don't worry about it Neji-san. I know exactly where they are. The birds already showed me. Trust me, I got this. BYE!" Chino disappeared before Neji could protest further.


	8. Teatime Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning of the chapter gives a thorough explanation of the Kusannagi clan kekkei genkai (blood line limit). If you're not interested skip to where Time for Tea appears as a single line in the center of the page. This chapter also references Team 17 characters and provides a small peek into life in the Village of Amazons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese words used in this Chapter -  
> for eye technique: Dojutsu;  
> for a word denoting a god, such as from the Japanese religion of Shinto: kami
> 
> If I left any other words out tell me and I'll post the English translation.

 

"The _birds_ told her?" Neji repeated dumbfounded.  
"She's always like that" Misaki said flatly. "I forgot to mention before that many of our clan members have the ability to understand birds. It ties in with our **kekkei genkai**."  
Neji stared at Misaki in shock. " **Your clan has a kekkei genkai as well**?"

"Yes but its rather … _unusual_. Allow me to explain. Our kekkei genkai is a form of **Dojutsu** that also uses _mental abilities_ , especially in connection with our bird partners. Now this is where it can get kinda hard to understand."  
Neji listened intently and intrigued. He wanted to hear the entire explanation before asking questions so he would neither miss something or end up asking a question the Kusannagi male was about to answer. Misaki continued his explanations.

"First off you need to know that our abilities allow us to link with birds. _Any_ birds, it doesn't matter as long as they're within range. However, the closer you are to the bird, _personally_ and _distance wise_ , the kekkei genkai becomes stronger. There are varying stages and levels of our kekkei genkai **but** , not all people can use every level or stage and some never develop it at all. When we use our kekkei genkai and link with a bird, or birds, we then gain the ability to _see what they see_ and can _direct their actions_. What's really happening is we are temporarily sharing our eyes and minds with the birds we link with so we can _see their memories_ , as well as _increase_ our own _sight range_. By linking with multiple birds and switching between them we can survey large areas quickly and easily. OH, one more important thing! You can easily tell if we're using our kekkei genkai because one or both of our eyes _physically change_ until they resemble _**bird's eyes**_. Whether it's one or both eyes depends on the level and stage the clan member is using."

All the while during Misaki's explanation Neji had been listening attentively. Now that it seemed like his explanation was complete, Neji felt now was the time to ask questions. "Not to be rude, but although your explanation was quite informative I still have two questions if I may ask them."

Misaki wasn't the least bit insulted. In fact, he was proud Neji said his explanation was well done.

"Sure. Ask away, and I'll do my best to answer them."

Neji nodded in acknowledgement before asking his questions. "Since you seem to send your consciousness into the bird you link with, what happens to your _body_ while you are doing this? There is a kunoichi of our age group that uses a mind transfer jutsu and it leaves her body _motionless_ and _vulnerable_. I was wondering if something similar happens to your clan members."

Misaki had to think a bit to decide on how to best answer Neji. "The answer to that is Yes _and_ No. Some stages and levels cause that but most don't. I think I know what clan you mean. The Yamanaka's right?"  
Again Neji nodded his head toward Misaki to confirm his answer.

"Well unlike that clan's abilities, ours _doesn't_ transfer our consciousness _completely_. I know some of it does, but mostly it's shared by both the person and the bird at the same time, but **We** are in control. It's complicated so I don't really understand it fully. What I do know is that our consciousness is _split_ so we don't take any of the damage the bird we link with may receive. If it gets knocked out or killed we just return to our bodies. That's a plus to be sure and a bit of an advantage over the Yamanaka's abilities. The downside is there's a _far greater strain_ put on our minds and bodies. The more birds linked at once the worse it gets, so everything has a time limit attached that varies with the strength of the person and the link. Did that explanation help? It wasn't too long and complicated?"

"It was excellent thank you," Neji responded. "Now for my other question if you don't mind."

Misaki gave Neji a no problem and a wave as a signal to continue what he was saying.

"Your abilities seem to be useful for scouting, but is it also possible to apply your kekkei genkai to _battle situations_?"

"Of course. You probably saw it before but didn't realize it. My cousin's eye changed before when she thought we would have to fight whoever was coming near us. Did you notice?"  
Neji informed him of how he thought he had seen a difference in one of her eyes but he thought his mind was playing tricks on him.  
"That was no trick. Our clan's kekkei genkai is strong with her. Our clan says she's one of the best in years, probably Senju influence if you ask me, but I'm going off topic."

Misaki took a moment to reorganize his thoughts and get back on track before continuing. "When used with our bird partners our kekkei genkai can be very effective in battle. By allowing only _one_ of our eyes to be shared with our partner we gain the ability to essentially watch our own backs. We can focus on the enemy with our eye and have our bird fly above us and watch the fight. That way we won't lose track of them as well as spot anyone else that may enter the battle. Of course we can always relate what we see to our teammates too."

"That does sound very helpful. What happens when **both** of your eyes are shared with your bird partner?" Neji inquired, more interested then he dared admit.

Misaki sighed. He should have seen this coming. "I can't do that unfortunately but I can tell you what I've heard. Honestly my cousin would be the better person to ask but she would probably _exaggerate_ her explanation." Neji assured Misaki that whatever he could tell him would be enough.

"Once both of our eyes are shared with a bird, or birds for that matter, we can _no longer move_ on our own and become vulnerable. That's why many clan members who can even use that ability usually link with _wild_ or _summoned_ birds and **NOT** their partner. They have their bird partner guard their body if a teammate can't do it."

Neji looked at Misaki waiting for more of an explanation. When the boy showed no sign he would continue he decided to prompt him.  
"Then what purpose does such an ability serve?"

"Oh sorry! Let me explain. The idea is that the shinobi becomes like a person watching a wall of screens showing a projection of what is happening in a fixed area. While their body isn't moving they are _constantly switching_ from the perspectives of strategically placed birds. This way they can see _an entire battlefield_ from multiple angles. Then that shinobi can relate what they see to their team while monitoring the situation from a safe distance."

"Then your clansmen can still have some measure of control over their own bodies?" Neji asked slightly unable to grasp the concept since he has had no exposure to such strange kinds of jutsus before.  
"I thought I said something about that earlier …" Misaki started, "Well yeah. We can still move our mouths anyway. If we want to move much more than that we would have to _**deactivate**_ the kekkei genkai. Depending on how long the person was using it they should have enough chakra and freedom of movement to dodge once or twice. After that they're pretty much screwed until their body has recovered from the strain. That's the _real reason_ why we would need someone to guard us. So in that way our ability is similar to the Yamanaka's for that version of it." It all sounded reasonable enough to Neji.

 

**Time for Tea**

Then it occurred to him that they had been talking for a while and Neji wondered if they girl had found his Uncle and Hinata yet. Misaki must have been thinking the same thing. "Maybe we should go join our cousins. It's been a while since we were left here and I don't like the idea of leaving her alone with your relatives."

Neji shot Misaki a questioning look. Misaki hesitated momentarily but continued. "She doesn't always know how to act around noble families. Or maybe it's more like she doesn't care whether her behavior is acceptable or not. Plus kami knows what kind of excuses she may have come up with for why she's late. Would you like to lead the way Neji-sama?"  
Neji was taken aback that Misaki would add **sama** to the end of his name and wanted him to use **san** instead. However, Misaki insisted that, _branch member or not_ , he still worked for the Hyuga household and it was only proper. Hyuga mannerisms were beginning to rub off on him.

While Misaki and Neji had been discussing the Kusannagi clan's kekkei genkai Chino had found Hinata. Hinata then escorted Chino to where Hiashi and Hanabi were waiting. After she had been introduced Hiashi motioned for Chino to sit. Taka landed behind her where bowls for food and water were left for him. As soon as she was seated, Chino immediately blamed running into Misaki and Neji for her lateness.

Hiashi just chuckled."It's about time those two finally met anyway." He then directed a servant to set two more places for tea and one more set of bowls for Misaki's kestrel Soramaru. The servant was also directed to make sure there would be enough refreshments for the additional people and bird. Once the servant was out of sight, Chino took out the scroll where she had sealed the Hyuga's mail that she had come to deliver. She then presented the bundle to Hiashi who scanned through it.

About the time Hiashi finished scanning through the materials Chino delivered; Neji, Misaki, and Soramaru entered the room. Hiashi proceeded to reseal the bundle back into the scroll and handed it off to a servant who brought in the tea. He was given the instructions to leave them on Hiashi's desk. Neji went to take their seats as Soramaru landed in front of the bowls set aside for him near Taka. At the table, Hiashi was seated at one end of the table with Neji at the other. Chino sat to the right of Hiashi, next to Misaki. Hanabi was to Neji's right, next to Hinata. With everyone now seated Hinata got up to serve the tea. She started with Chino since she was the guest.

To poor Hinata's distress, as she made to pour the tea, Chino covered the cup with her hand.  
"Don't you want tea Kusannagi-san?" she squeaked out. A confused look crossed Chino's face.  
"Yes I want tea but … why are **you** the one serving me?" Now it was Hinata's turn to look confused.  
"Have we _offended_ you in some way Kusannagi-san?" Hiashi asked politely but with concern.  
"I wouldn't say offended, but in _our_ village _men_ serve the tea, **especially** to women. I guess you could call it more of a cultural difference. In a household like this, if you were in the village of the Amazon's, a male servant or relative would be expected to serve everyone. A female heir to the clan would _never_ play hostess."

All eyes turned to Misaki. "Misaki-san you _never_ told us that" Hinata whispered, embarrassed.  
"I never thought about it. I just thought things were different here. And as a worker rather than a guest I thought it best to go with your traditions," Misaki mumbled back.  
"Well it would be rude not to respect your culture's traditions. I'll send for a male servant right away." Before Hiashi could follow through with his statement Hanabi spoke up.  
"Why not just have Neji serve the tea? As a _branch member_ he's kind of like a servant." Neji glared daggers at the young girl. Her comment was meant to insult but the innocent way Hanabi said it fooled her father.  
"Will that suffice Kusannagi-san?"  
"Why of course Hiashi-sama. That would be wonderful." Chino replied sweetly, aiming a smile at the proud Hyuga male in question.

Neji felt he had never been so embarrassed in all his life. Without Hiashi seeing, Neji glared even harder at Chino then he did when Hanabi tried to trip him as he got up. Taking the teapot from Hinata, Neji moved to serve the Kusannagis. Then he served his uncle, Hinata, and Hanabi.  
"Don't forget the water for Taka and Soramaru before you serve yourself" Hiashi prompted after double checking the birds' names.  
"Thank you Neji nii-sama," Hinata mumbled sheepishly while adding a barely audible "I was afraid I would spill the tea."

By this time Chino was getting bored since she wasn't used to such a quiet atmosphere. In an attempt to make things more like how she was used to, Chino tried teasing Neji some more. "Why Neji have you done this before?"  
" **No,** I have _not_. Why do you ask?" Neji would soon regret asking that question.  
"Well you have the elegance and grace when it comes to pouring tea to that of a court lady."  
Neji almost spilled the tea he was pouring for himself at hearing Chino's statement. Misaki and Hinata paled while Hanabi giggled. Neji felt horribly insulted but wouldn't dare say anything back while in his uncle's presence. Hiashi was unfazed by the comment as he took it as a sign of Neji's sophistication.  
"I agree with Kusannagi-san" Hanabi started, "Neji-san does look like a woman when he's serving tea."

Neji's face grew red and Misaki could see from where he was sitting that Neji was trying to keep himself from shaking in anger. Misaki took one look at Chino and mouthed  
"He's going to _kill_ you later!" Chino responded by mouthing  
"Then _you're_ going down with _me_ " right back at him.  
"What do **you** think Misaki-kun? Does _Neji-san_ appear at all feminine? Be specific."

"Uhh … I … um … well … Neji … um …" Misaki stuttered afraid to say anything that might further insult Neji.  
"It's alright boy you can be honest. We won't hold it against you" Hiashi encouraged.  
_You_ _might not but_ _ **Neji**_ _will_ , Misaki thought to himself. Gathering his courage, Misaki squeaked out "maybe his hair?" Unfortunately for the young Kusannagi male his remark had struck a serious chord with Neji.  
" **MY Hair**! … What about it?"

"It's very long" Misaki offered sheepishly.  
"And flowing" Chino added.  
"So he looks like a woman too not just acts like one" Hanabi said while feigning an epiphany.  
"I **DO NOT** look and act like a _Woman_!" Neji said seething with rage. Little Misaki could see Neji's nails starting to dig into his tightly clenched fists.

"You sure? Maybe you'll make a nice wife for someone one day. If Konoha doesn't allow for that sort of thing you can always go to the Amazon Village where gay marriage is legal" Chino teased.  
"Just not that Lee boy from your team. I will not call that fool Gai-san uncle" Hanabi added joining in.

Up until this point Hiashi was amused by the whole situation, which is why he had made no attempt to stop what was happening. It had been some time since his family was involved in such a lively conversation. However, he did not approve of Hanabi bad mouthing other shinobi in front of guests.  
"Now Hanabi, Gai-san is a well-respected and very capable shinobi of this village, even if his personality differs from what one would expect. Neji do not listen to Hanabi. As you are not the heir to the Hyuga clan and an heir is not expected of you that leaves you free to have a partner of your choosing. I do not know if the Elders will approve of a male companion for you but I will respect you decision whatever it may be for Hizashi's sake."

" _ **UNCLE**_!" Neji shouted indignantly. Now he knew he had never been so insulted in his Life.  
_Why did Lady Tsunade feel the need to call for this, this_ _ **uncouth troublemaking bird girl**_ _!_ Neji ranted inside his head while visibly fuming.  
Misaki and Hinata could see Neji's nails digging further into his palms to the point of almost drawing blood. Hinata was now fully in panic mode and needed to change the subject desperately before Neji did anything rash.  
"Uhh the manju buns must be getting cold. Why don't I go get them?" Hinata nearly screamed as she shot up from her place at the table.  
"Shouldn't _Neji_ go and get them?" Hanabi asked Chino. "In your village _men_ have to serve the food too right?"  
Chino nodded.

"Hinata sit down. Neji will get the manju buns. Won't you Neji? We would not want to offend our guest now" Hiashi commanded more than asked.  
"Of course Uncle" Neji responded through gritted teeth. Hinata followed Neji with her eyes nervously as Neji left the room. Maybe this way is better for him, Hinata reassured herself sensing Neji needed time to cool off.

"Misaki-san, if you don't mind me asking … why would long hair make my nephew appear feminine? Do men in your village not grow out their hair?" Hiashi had waited for Neji to be well out of the room before asking his question.  
" _ **NO**_ _,_ not **Ever**! We wouldn't _dare_. It's almost an unspoken rule." Misaki's comment came out more defensive then he meant.  
"What an odd rule" Hiashi mumbled.  
"Yeah it is" Chino commented, "but women don't let their hair grow out too long either. That is if they want to avoid _unnecessary injuries_."  
"Oh, do your people feel long hair is dangerous for a shinobi?" Hiashi prodded feeling he was close to an important understanding.  
"You _could_ say that" Chino replied with a smirk while Misaki visibly cringed. Neither of the Kusannagis wanted to explain the real reason.

 

*****THE REAL REASON*****

The real reason was because of Raiku Senju's obsession with her hair. She refused to allow anyone in the village, except for maybe her mother, to have longer hair than hers. This counted double for men. In fact she actively enforced this so called " _unspoken rule_ " by going around and attacking anyone she thought might have hair longer than her. Then she would cut their hair just to further prove her point. Miku was often left to do damage control after Raiku ran off with the offending locks so she could burn them. Men in the Village of Amazons lived in fear of Raiku Senju. [ _They lived in fear of her sister Rinku Senju too, but for very different reasons_.] They were very vigilant in making _absolutely_ sure their hair never went past their collars just to be safe. Women also went for regular haircuts and kept their hair in styles that gave it the appearance of being short. As a result, the barber shops and hair salons were some of the most lucrative businesses in the Village of Amazons, right alongside the weapons dealers and armory.

***And Now Back To The Story***

 

"By the way Misaki-kun your hair seems to have grown out somewhat" Chino said trying to act and sound as if it was an innocent statement.

Misaki instinctively grabbed at his hair unable to shake the old habit from when he still lived at the village. Even though he no longer at the village, his hair still wasn't all that long, and there was no immediate indication that he might suffer Raiku's wrath. Misaki made a mental note to go get a haircut first thing tomorrow. Before anyone could ask Misaki why he looked panicked, a loud noise could be heard coming from the direction of the kitchen area where Neji was.

Neji had decided to take his anger out on one of the walls. He ended up making an interesting pattern out of the dents he was putting in it with his fists and feet. "Is everything alright Nephew?" Hiashi ventured a little concerned.  
"Everything is fine Uncle" Neji called back now that he was feeling better since his anger had dissipated somewhat.  
"Do remember the food for our guests' partners when you come back with the manju buns" Hiashi reminded Neji as an afterthought now that he believed there was nothing to worry about. [Soon that belief would prove false, although he may never know this]  
"Yes Uncle I'm bringing both out with me now."

As Neji entered the room he placed the tray of manju buns on the table so he could bring the birds their food. The birds fluttered around Neji happily as he filled their bowls. They were beginning to think they had been forgotten but now the two birds were happy that they could finally eat. There was no way they had any concerns over the humans' arguments. As far as they were concerned there wasn't meant to be a battle so that means they were under no obligation to follow their humans inside the house. In their minds the only reason they were present at all was to get free food.

Neji smiled at the birds' antics, preferring their company at the present moment. He always did tend to favor birds over humans any day. However, he would have to face the other humans in the room sooner or later. He tried to maintain his composure while he went to get the tray of manju buns. As he handed out the food, Hiashi and Hanabi asked the Kusannagis questions about their clan. They ended up repeating many of the things they had already explained to Neji not all that long ago. Then the Hyugas changed the subject to life in the Amazon Village.

Misaki was very nervous because he had no idea what his cousin would do at this point.

"Well I guess the first thing you should know is …" Misaki heard Chino answering a question he didn't realize had been asked. "Women have a higher status then men and they're outnumbered at almost 5 to 1 since most of the children born are female."  
To that statement Hanabi remarked "That doesn't sound so bad."  
Chino smiled sensing the girl probably wasn't into boys yet. "We're generally far stronger than the men, almost 40% of which end up being gay most likely out of avoiding being with a strong woman. [Rinku may have had some influence in increasing those numbers as of late.] Hence the whole legalized gay marriage thing. It cuts down on a lot of whining and tension" Chino continued.  
"Perhaps I should arrange for my daughters to visit your village. There aren't enough available strong kunoichi here to act as role models." Hanabi's eyes lit up at her father's words.  
"How does your village thrive with so _few_ eligible men" Neji stated more than asked.

Misaki decided to treat it like a question and provided an answer. "Most of the women end up marrying someone from outside of the village …. _somehow_." Possibly through kidnapping he suspected.  
"Is that really safe for your village" Hinata wondered out loud without meaning to.  
"Don't worry Hinata-san, men have a high fatality rate. Especially the _foreign ones_. And some just simply divorce, separate, whatever after the child is born and go into hiding" Chino stated a little too happily for the others' comfort.

" _High fatality rate_?" Hiashi asked skeptically.

"Uhh huh. When on missions the men have a higher probability of dying for starters" Chino explained. '

 _Yeah 'cause you use 'em as sacrifices and decoys_ _among other things_ ,' Misaki grumbled in his head.  
"Then there's those who have to be killed because they threatened the security of the village" Chino continued.  
' _Because they wanted to escape for some foreign nation or some woman made it up because they wanted them dead_ ,' Misaki continued in his thoughts.  
"And there's those that snap and kill themselves" Chino went on.  
' _Again, they wanted to escape the crazy insanely strong female overlords_ ,' Misaki thought, hoping he wasn't saying any of this out loud.  
"Ohh and some end up dying from wounds they received during an argument with their spouse" Chino finished.  
' _ **Especially**_ _during that time of the month_ ,' Misaki finished.

  
Throughout the explanation Misaki just sullenly nodded his head in confirmation of cousin's words. It was the only safe thing he could do and it kept him from making his internal dialogue external. Now that he saw more of the outside world he strongly believed the state of the Amazon Village was a result of most of the rest of the ninja world being the exact opposite and some strong kunoichi wasn't happy about it. There was a reason his home was called the AMAZON Village but he couldn't remember exactly what an Amazon was but must have had something to do with dangerous women. Speaking of dangerous women, he considered his cousin just as crazy and dangerous as any other kunoichi from the Village of Amazons and he didn't want Chino attacking him. Chino would attack him too without it fazing her that there are witnesses and it would be very inappropriate to start a fight in someone else's house.

 _It's no wonder Misaki agreed to take on this assignment as a servant of the Hyuga household_ , Neji thought while pitying the boy. He felt more of a connection with the weaker of the Kusannagi cousins than ever.  
"I wanna go there!" Hanabi shouted.  
"I'll see what I can do, but perhaps it would be best to wait until you're a little older." Hiashi didn't want Hanabi picking up any strange ideas about when it's okay to kill men. Hanabi tried to protest but just then a servant came in to deliver a message to Hiashi. Luckily for Hiashi this gave him an excuse to leave the room and further discuss the matter with his younger daughter later.

"If you will excuse me this matter needs my immediate attention."  
Chino smiled and answered with a "no problem Hiashi-sama. Go right ahead we'll be fine." As she said this she mock waved him away to emphasize her point. All would not be fine as it didn't take long for all hell to break loose once Hiashi was out of sight and no longer within distance of hearing those left behind.

Neji was the first to break since Hanabi had started up with him again but worse than before now that her father wasn't watching her. As a response to her demands, Neji purposefully poured some of the tea into her lap.  
" **Oops** how _clumsy_ of me."  
Hanabi let out a string of curses before trying to use Neji's guard skirt as a towel. Hinata was in shock.  
"Little girl's got quite a mouth on her" Chino commented amusedly.  
Misaki made an attempt to hide under the table. Not such a bright idea considering the table wasn't that far off the ground. Neji and Hanabi continued going back and forth until they got back on the subject of Neji being like a woman.

"What's wrong? Is Lee not good enough for you or do you have some _other man_ you'd rather marry instead?" Hanabi taunted.  
"I will Not nor will I Ever consider _marrying a man_ from this village!" Neji yelled, getting in Hanabi's face.  
" **Oh Really**? Then maybe you should just marry Misaki-kun over there. He's not from this village and according to his cousin there's a good chance he's gay. You two servants deserve each other!"  
At Hanabi's comments Misaki managed to get out from under the table and sat straight up while shouting indignantly.  
" _ **Hey**_! Keep me out of this and I swear to kami _I'm not gay_! That's why I took this assignment in the first place!"

Chino pouted before goading her cousin. "O-o-oh-h-h, but you and Kenji would have been a cute couple. Or you and Jun. It wouldn't have mattered. Guess I can settle for you and Neji-san. Hinata-san and I can plan your plan your shower. Right Hinata-san?" Hinata promptly mumbled  
"I don't think I could do that." Chino wished Hinata was capable of playing along. "Why not?" she whined.

" **Don't you dare try**. Thanks to you, Uncle already has the idea in his head and just might _agree_ to it."  
"Don't encourage her" Misaki yelled at Neji. "She'll try to make it happen just as a sick joke. I'm telling you the women of my village do stuff like this for their _own amusement_. I swear they're certifiable!"

" _ **Hey**_!" Chino shouted while grabbing at Misaki. "Just because there's a history of _bipolar mania_ and various _personality disorders_ in the family doesn't mean you get to …"  
" _ **What**_?" Neji yelled, cutting off the end of Chino's rant.  
It was far too late to hope for a response. Chino had successfully pulled Misaki into a headlock and was totally focused on using her free hand to dig her knuckles into Misaki's neck near his collar bone. He in turn was desperately trying to escape. Hanabi took the opportunity the break in the conversation presented to start in on Neji again. Soon all was chaos as Hanabi made a lunge at Neji and ended up grappling with him. There was so much noise one couldn't possibly have understood most of the words coming out of the four arguing cousins' mouths, let alone follow what the hell was happening.

Hinata tried her best to diffuse the situation but her efforts were all in vain since her voice was too quiet to be heard and she couldn't get anywhere near either one of the pair of fighting cousins. Now while all this was going on Taka and Soramaru were doing their best to ignore the humans and enjoy their food. It was becoming increasingly difficult. Soramaru felt bad for Hinata. Over the course of the year that he spent at the Hyuga compound with Misaki he had developed a soft spot for the quiet heiress. She had always been gentle with him and snuck him treats whenever possible. Seeing Hinata struggle like this made him upset so he convinced Taka, who had become very annoyed and couldn't take much more, to help him get the humans to stop fighting. Taka divided at Chino and Misaki while Soramaru went after Neji and Hanabi. Both birds clawed, pecked, and flapped their wings at their targets until they stopped. Hinata sat back and watched as the others flailed their arms, pushed back and yelled. It sounded like something along the lines of a chorus of "hey, stop or I'll, what the hell, knock it off will you, what gives, stupid birds, get away already, what's wrong with you, quit it, enough, and just stop I give up."

Soramaru now satisfied then landed next to Hinata after everything had calmed down. Hinata ruffled his feathers and thanked him for his help and Taka's too. The uneasy peace didn't last long before Neji and Hanabi started up again. This time Chino ended it when Hanabi crossed the line by threatening to use his curse mark to hurt Neji. She may have enjoyed driving Neji crazy but this was going too far.  
"That's _enough_ out of you" Chino practically commanded as she knocked Hanabi over with a gust of her wind chakra. Neji was as surprised by this action as Hanabi. He thought the bird using ANBU girl was out to make his life a living hell by teasing him to the point of insanity.

" _Why did you do that_? You were teasing him too" Hanabi demanded.  
"Yeah. For fun, _not_ to hurt him." Chino explained. " **I** was only _joking_ and _fooling around_. It's how we do things where I'm from and then males get used to it or get over it. _You_ were doing it to be _vicious_. Watch it or next time I'll light a fire under your skinny little ass. Literally. You may have your father fooled but I know you were deliberately trying to insult Neji and make him miserable. _And_ to top it off you're devious enough to know to do it when Neji _wouldn't_ do anything back because your _father_ was in the room."

Hanabi glared down Chino hard but it didn't affect the ANBU in the least. "Very clever of you to figure that all out. What are you going to do about it? Tell my father? He won't believe you."

 _Damn she is e-vil_ , Misaki thought while he watched for his cousin's reaction.  
Chino only initially glared back at the little Hyuga. "I don't have to. You're bound to slip up eventually. And remember, I'm not the only one who knows the truth."  
Hanabi looked like she was going to snap back at Chino but froze up the second her father came into view.  
"That freaking lucky little [censored]…." Chino cursed under her breath as Hiashi returned to his seat. She then proceeded to lightly knock her head repeatedly off the table out of frustration at Hanabi almost getting caught. That and she wanted to make sure she didn't attack the little brat and throttle a confession out of her right then and there.

Hiashi ignored Chino's actions deciding it must be another one of the Amazon village's customs. "Well it seems like you all managed without me. Are we all getting along?"  
Chino had to resist the urge to scream _not a kid's chance in Orochimaru's lair_ at Hiashi along with some more colorful remarks aimed at his youngest daughter.  
"Of course Father" Hanabi answered. Everyone else was shocked into silence and Chino decided she was sure they were all staring at a demon in disguise.  
"Wonderful. It's so good to hear that our two families will be able to maintain peaceful cooperation in the coming generation" Hiashi stated happily. He was totally unaware of the true state of affairs.

' _I'll only cooperate if he keeps that thing far away from me_ ,' Chino thought bitterly as she stared at Hanabi.  
"Well since you are all getting along so well wouldn't it be even more wonderful if all of your friends could get along with Kusannagi-san here? She will be here in the village for a while after all. You have not even gotten to know all the shinobi in your own age group yet, have you Kusannagi-san?"

Ignoring Hanabi Chino looked toward Hiashi. "No sir I haven't. There are still a few I haven't even been introduced to yet."  
Hiashi frowned. "That won't do. Hinata, why don't you have a party for Kusannagi-san, here at the estate, and introduce her to everyone. It would be the proper thing to do."  
Hinata smiled and clapped her hands together. "Oh yes Father. I think that's a great idea. You do too don't you Neji-san?" she cried happily. Hinata secretly loved parties despite her shyness.  
"It does sound like it could be a great idea but it's hard to find a time when we are all here in the village at the same time," Neji replied.

"Don't worry about that. I know for a fact that in a few days' time everyone your age **will** all be here at the same time. So that's settled then. The party is set for a few days from now."  
No one dared contradict Hiashi so the plans for the party went underway that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As suggested in the end of this Chapter, Chapter 9 { title – Picnictime Situations} will cover the events at the picnic party for Chino at the Hyuga estate. A new character from the Naruto cannon will make a debut and all of the Konoha 11 and Sai will be featured as well.  
> Feel free to make predictions of who the new character will be.


	9. Picnic Time Situations (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story will have two parts.   
> A new mystery surrounding Chino will be introduced.   
> A new character to the story, from the Naruto anime, makes an appearance at the end of the second part.

 

 _Part 1_ _: The Guests Arrive_

In four days' time all of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai were all in the village at the same time. Chino still speculated that Hiashi had done something to make sure of it out of a desire to have a party (if you call a glorified picnic a party) at the Hyuga compound long before they had sat down for tea. She still wasn't sure how he done it, or why Hiashi was so determined to have a party for her in the first place. So for now she was going with Taka's theory of bribing the Hokage with either a large quantity of sake or a large sum of money to pay off some Tsunade's large debt. As to the reason why Hiashi would want a party, it was a toss-up between making Hinata happy because she loved picnics/parties or an elaborate scheme to make his daughter more sociable in public.  
Both the kunoichi and her hawk partner had plenty of time to discuss this after having been banned from training Naruto after only two days. Since they had nothing better to do they had spent the whole day discussing the matter while avoiding Shizune. Shizune seemed insistent on checking on Chino constantly following her release from the hospital yesterday as a result of a " _training accident_ " with Naruto.

The young ANBU had originally decided on purposefully showing up late to her own picnic/party to see if that would trick Hiashi into revealing his motives. However, after secretly spying on Hinata for the last two hours using her kekkei genkai and the help of two local birds (who Hinata routinely fed), Chino felt such an action would distress Hinata too much for it to be worth it. There had been too much excitement for Hinata to handle already. Naturally, Misaki outright refused to come, insisting the others did not need to and were not supposed to know about him. Neji was still pissed at Chino. Having not worked out all the anger he fostered toward the Kusannagi female from the last insulting time he had to endure her presence he was in a foul mood.  
Hanabi had thrown a fit as well but for the opposite reason of Misaki and her cousin. Whereas Neji had to practically be commanded to go to the party, Hanabi was trying to come up with a reason to make her father reverse his decision of banning her from the party. Hiashi had done this in favor of a supervised day of training with a trusted branch member. Reluctant to give up entirely, Hanabi quieted down and let the branch member take her away to train only after beginning on a plan to sneak in anyway.

Once the fireworks were over and Misaki went off to do who knows what, Chino decided it was safe to come out of hiding and join the remaining Hyuga cousins. "Not too early am I?" Chino asked Hinata before adding, "This all looks wonderful Hinata-san, thank you." Taka added his thank you too which Chino had to translate.  
"You're not to early Kusannagi-san we haven't started yet. And thank you for the compliment" Hinata responded, shyly blushing.  
"No problem Hinata-san. **HEY**! Where ya _goin_ ' Hyuga? Aren't you going to greet your guests when they arrive?" Chino called to Neji's retreating back as he tried to sneak off.  
He had paused momentarily in his exit noting Chino's dig at his sudden lack of proper etiquette. The moment's pause was all Hinata needed to get in front of her cousin having now been alerted to his attempted escape.  
"Neji-nii-san _P-l-e-a-s-e_ don't leave, **P-l-e-a-s-e** " Hinata pleaded with an attempt at big puppy dog eyes which made Neji feel guilty.

Neji cursed silently in his mind at seeing his cousin's face. ' _I can't turn her down looking like that. Those damn Inuzuka's must have taught her that face. Now I have to stay. Why does that girl have to notice everything?'_  
"I was just going to check on the servants since all the drinks haven't been brought out yet. I wasn't trying to leave. I'll stay and greet the guests with you if that's what you wish" Neji reassured Hinata. Hinata had not a clue Neji had made that up and quickly smiled at her cousin while telling him she wanted Neji to help her.

No sooner had Neji's timely escape been thwarted and Chino finished charading how he was whipped, Hinata's teammates arrived. As he had done only a few days before, Akamaru bounded up to Chino with Kiba yelling after him. This time Chino was ready for him so Akamaru wasn't able to knock Chino over like how he intended. He did however succeed in knocking Taka off Chino's shoulder. The irate bird shrieked at the dog while trying to resume his previous position on his partner's shoulder. When he saw that would be impossible due to the large dog's paws occupying her shoulders presently, Taka settled for landing on Chino's head. In all the commotion Chino didn't notice Shino had come in with Kiba and Akamaru until she heard Hinata greet him.  
"Two dogs and a bug, this is starting to shape up to be an interesting party. By the way thanks again for your help the other day. Naruto wasn't much help at all" Chino said to the Aburame as she tried to look around Akamaru [who wasn't going to budge until he got a treat from the girl].  
Whatever Shino had said in response was drowned out by Kiba's "Whaddya mean **two** dogs? If I'm a _dog_ then you're a _bird_!"  
Chino stared at the angry Inuzuka unaffected. "Is that meant to insult me? No offense to Akamaru but I'd rather be a bird than a dog."  
Akamaru gave her a look that said none taken.  
"However" she continued, "I would like to amend my statement to one bug, one dog, and one rabid pup so as not to offend Akamaru by being grouped together with you."

Before Kiba could snap back at Chino, Ino pushed him out of the way, having just arrived and did not want Kiba to start a fight before she could introduce herself. Akamaru quickly moved to catch his human partner while Ino checked the flowers she brought from her family's shop to make sure the arrangement was just the way she wanted it. She didn't want this newcomer to have a bad impression of the family business because of Kiba's temper.  
"Hi I'm Ino. These are for you. They're from the flower shop my family owns. Come by anytime you like."

"Thanks Ino-san this arrangement is very well done."

Although Chino complimented the arrangement she actually wasn't interested in it. In fact her feelings for it were bordering on hate. For Hinata's sake though she was nice to the chattering blonde who she was only half listening to. Chino had never cared for cut flowers. They died too quickly and dying flowers weren't much to look at. Her mother was the queen of killing plants (even a cactus surprisingly) so Chino had taken to pressed flowers as an alternative to live arrangements and potted plants. [Can't kill what's already dead.] Pink and yellow, the colors of most of the flowers, were two of her all time least favorite colors. Red and orange were the other two. Everything was far too girly and hard to look at. It was all too much for Chino to handle but in essence she hadn't lied. Despite being just about everything she didn't care for the arrangement was skillfully put together and Chino could appreciate that.

No matter how expertly done, the flowers were still an eyesore for Chino so she wanted to dispose of them as quickly as possible without causing a scene. "Hinata-san, why don't you have a servant bring these into the house and put them in some water before something _happens_ to them," Chino suggested. ' _Or I turn them into a shower of flower petal confetti,'_ she added to herself amid visions of spinning around among the thousands of tiny pieces of what were once flowers before she shredded them with her wind chakra.  
" **I'll** do that for you" Neji offered as he spotted the approach of his own team with a secretly activated byakugan.  
"Don't be too long or you may miss when your own team arrives."  
' _ **Don't**_ _count on it,'_ Neji thought in response to his cousin's ignorance. _To_ escape _from them was the_ whole point _of why I worked so hard to reach Jounin level in the first place. That way I could lead my own teams or join the ANBU,_ _ **FAR**_ _away from those two. Hinata how can one be so unaware of the feelings of one's own cousin.'_ Just then Neji remembered something about the comment Ignorance is Bliss and decided that fit his cousin nicely at the moment.

While Neji was hurrying back inside one of the buildings, Tenten approached Chino to introduce herself. Unfortunately for her, Lee wasn't just going to wait his turn to meet the new shinobi. Overtaken by his zealous ambition he knocked over Tenten as he rushed up to Chino. He would have preferred her to be a boy but Lee wasn't going to let that stop him from sparing with Chino. That is, not since his conversation with Naruto about what happened during their training and the girl's abilities as a shinobi.  
"I am Rock Lee, one of the sexy beasts of Konoha."  
Chino stared at the green spandex wearing teen incredulously. ' _The_ what _?_ _ **Wow**_ _. Somebody has a high sense of self-esteem_ ,' the young ANBU thought while still in disbelief that one of the strangest looking males she had met in Konoha just proudly proclaimed himself to be a sexy beast in front of mixed company. Taka seemed to share a similar sentiment as he nearly fell off the branch he had moved to in a mixture of shock and hysteria.

"Come let us build our youthful bonds through a good natured tussle as Guy sensei would say."  
Chino was stunned by the ludicrous statement. And in typical Chino in confusion style, she tilted her to the side as her eyes grew wide, mirroring a bird. [This also happened to be one of the few personality quirks she shared with her twin brother Ashido.] Then came the internal ranting. ' _I don't know if I should take that as a challenge or a proposition. By using a word like tussle it could go either way. Damn Rinku's influence! Why did he have to say he was sexy before saying something so stupid and weird_?'  
"Uhh …Should I take that as a strange form of sexual harassment or the most ill-timed challenge of the month?" Chino asked Tenten who she hoped was the crazed teen's teammate. At the moment she was too in shock to remember.

The girl, who had since gotten up from the lawn and dusted off her clothes, answered Chino's question as if Lee wasn't even there.  
"Ignore him he's harmless in that department. Our sensei is a little…. _off_ …. and Lee's **always** been like this. He's a little preoccupied with _training_. I'm Tenten by the way. We're both from Neji's team."  
As soon as Tenten finished her introduction, Lee shouted something about how could she speak badly of Guy sensei and wanting a match to defend his honor. (Chino could have sworn she heard the voice of an older man say "Way to go Lee! You tell her!" from somewhere nearby.)  
Tenten greeted his challenge with a knockout punch to the jaw screaming, "That was for knocking me over before, and **don't** you _**dare**_ make a _scene_ at this party!"  
' _Who's making a scene?_ ,' was what Chino wanted to say but was stopped by Ino warning her not to say anything and they'll both calm down on their own.  
Chino found herself thinking, ' _Damn. Now I know why Neji tries to escape from them. Maybe I took that prank a little too far_ (see Ch. 4 under pranks revealed). _He'll probably really hate me now if he ever finds out I'm the one who wrote that letter_.'  
"Well Lee-san, just to clear things up, the **only** thing I'm interested in right now is _lunch_. I see dog boy's already helping himself."

" _ **Hey**_! I'm _just_ as hungry as the rest of you and Hinata **doesn't** _usually_ make us wait to eat" Kiba yelled, attempting to defend himself. Akamaru started barking to back his partner up.  
"It's alright Kusannagi-san I don't mind. We can all start eating while we wait for the others to arrive."  
Ino laughed and wrapped her arm around Hinata's shoulder. "Yeah, if **any** of us want to eat we better do it before _Choji_ and _Naruto_ show up."  
Shino, although he thought it was rude to say such as thing he had to agree with Ino.  
"That wasn't the best way to say it but, Yamanka-san does have a point Kusannagi-san."  
Ino then added "And I know Billboard Brow is busy today at the hospital with Lady Tsunade."  
Chino went to sit down by Shino, judging him to be the sanest and the least dangerous one of the group, next to Hinata that is.  
"She means Sakura-san," Shino told the yet again confused Chino as she down.

It was at least half an hour before Shikamaru and Choji arrived. When they arrived Taka reported to Chino how he heard Shikamaru tell Hinata they were late because he wanted to make sure Choji had eaten something before they came. Apparently there was some merit to the others suspicions. Chino wondered why Choji had brought his own snacks to the party.  
"Can't he go _anywhere_ without bringing those snacks with him" Ino let out, exasperated as she went to go complain to Shikamaru about coming late. Said kunoichi's ranting was to no avail as Shikamaru largely ignored the rant. To Chino, the shadow wielding shinobi appeared to be both annoyed and bored. He stared off to the side of Ino's head somewhere while slightly tilting back his own head. Then Shikamaru reached up and held his head, rolling his eyes and muttering to himself.

The whole time this was going on Chino wondered why the pissed off blonde only took out her frustrations on the thinner boy. Choji was nearby but he seemed to be free of blame somehow. Abruptly the rant ended and Shikamaru was free to do as he pleased. As Ino left Choji and Shikamaru to join Tenten on one of the picnic blankets for some more food, her teammates went over to where Chino was. "Hey."  
"Hi" Chino said back to Shikamaru, waiting for more of a statement.

"I'm Shikamaru and this here is Choji." Choji was currently chomping on some of his snacks so Chino guessed the garbled words coming out of his mouth were some kind of greeting in response.  
"She always like that?"  
Shikamaru sighed before answering Chino's question. "Yeah, it's such a drag that I got stuck with such a troublesome woman for a teammate. She wants me to apologize for being late but I'd rather take a nap." The two boys stared as Chino giggled at the bored way Shikamaru complained, as if it was too much effort to say so little.  
"Go for it. I'm not looking for an apology. I already saw you talking to Hinata anyway." The lazy shadow boy and his friend, as Chino referred to them, mumbled their thanks and headed for a nearby tree. Shikamaru promptly sat down and got himself comfortable for nap. Choji sat down next to him so he could finish off the bag of chips he was eating.

Everything was going fine and everyone was enjoying themselves until Choji reached the end of his bag of chips. With the last chip dropping from the bag into Choji's open hand, Taka decided he wanted to know what was so good about those particular chips that Choji had to bring them to a picnic party with plenty of food. Instead of finding Chino to translate for him, Taka swooped down and stole the last chip right out of Choji's hand. This made Choji go berserk and start chasing the hawk in an attempt to get his chip back. What made this all the more comical was a bored Akamaru, thinking this was all some kind of game, started running after Choji barking happily. Adding to the ridiculousness of the scene was Lee's shouts of encouragement ( _something related to showing the power of youth_ ) and Kiba calling out to Akamaru to come back and sit. Making things worse was Tenten trying to get Lee to calm down by half tackling, half choking the boy and Ino yelling at Shikamaru to get Choji to stop, as if he had total control of his friend's actions. Hinata panicked while Neji and Shino ignored the whole scene, quietly sipping tea.

Before Choji could stop the hawk, Taka ate the chip in two bites from his branch high in a tree. So that Hinata would be able to calm down, Chino walked over to Choji and offered to buy him a new bag of chips. " _It's_ **not** _the price of the chips I'm upset about_ **; it's the principle of the thing**!" Choji shouted angrily. He then lectured Chino about the importance of, or sacredness of, or the whatever of the last chip in a bag. Chino wasn't really listening, or cared, but she wanted Choji to get over it and move on.

' _This guy takes his snacks way to seriously_ ,' Taka's voice echoed in Chino's head. ' _Yeah no kidding. Is it just me, or are you beginning_ _to think there's a good reason why these people aren't all in the same place at the same time very often_?' Chino's voice resounded back inside Taka's mind. ' _Nope, just you_ ,' Taka teased back. During an exchange such as this, one of Chino's eyes half changed in color and shape as the link was made that conveyed their thoughts to each other.  
Such a thing as that Choji was not expecting and it honestly freaked him out. The young ANBU never once thought about how things might look from Choji's perspective. He pointed at Chino and tried to tell her something was wrong with her but none of the words came out right.

"Whatever you think is wrong, I'm sure you're hallucinating from having too much junk food in your system."  
As Choji tried to tell Chino he wasn't hallucinating, Chino was distracted by a flash of orange, black, and yellow that came running up to her calling " _ **Sensei**_!"

"Uhh, Naruto, I told you that was _unnecessary_ **remember**?" A pout crossed the boy's face.  
"Yeah but…."  
Chino cut him off. " **Don't** give me that. We're not _allowed_ to train together anymore remember?"  
Naruto stared at the ground sullenly. "Yeah, I remember, and just when I was starting to learn something too!"

At about that time, Sakura forced Naruto out of the way so she could introduce herself. "My name is Sakura. It's nice to meet you. Sorry we're late. I was busy at the hospital and then I had to drag _someone_ ," glares off to her left at Naruto, "out of bed".  
Naruto made an attempt to hide behind Chino.  
"No problem Sakura-san" Chino said as she tried to look around Sakura by leaning to her right and balancing on her tiptoes at the same time.  
"What are you doing? Is something wrong?" Sakura tensed thinking there might be danger.

"No, nothing _wrong_ , just trying to see the thing that followed you in. It's trying to hide over there." Chino pointed in the direction of a shadow in a nearby shrubbery. Sakura spun around quickly.  
" _ **What**_! _Wait_ you mean **Sai**? Jeez, don't scare me like that."  
Sai slowly crept out from where he was hiding seeing there was no point to continue since he was already discovered.  
You can come out. Yamato sempai ordered me not to put you back in the hospital, or hurt you in _any way_ that would cause _him_ **or** the **Hokage** any further amount of _grief_ " Chino called out to the sulking form.

"Somehow that isn't _wholly_ reassuring" Sai complained.

" **Who cares about that**. I wanna know what **Naruto** did to make it so he can't train with the _bird girl_ anymore" Kiba yelled from one of the blankets near the food.  
"Can I show 'em what we were working on?" Naruto exclaimed excitedly.  
"If you feel like it, but you're still not very good since we didn't work on anything long enough."  
Naruto insisted that he had continued to practice on his own and didn't mind demonstrating. The general opinion of the assembly at the picnic was that they wanted to see whatever Naruto could do. Chino decided to explain what they were working on, while Naruto attempted to demonstrate, before she got into the details of the particular incident that led to the training ban.


	10. Picnic Time Situations (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chino explains what she attempted to teach Naruto during their training.

 

_**Part 2** _ _**: The "Incident"** _

As expected, the demonstration was less than impressive. Naruto for his part spent more time "concentrating" than _demonstrating_. Chino did more **complaining** than _explaining_. The whole ordeal was so much of a failure that nobody understood what was going on or what was supposed to be happening.

Trying not to be rude, Tenten attempted to redirect the conversation before Chino could start on another rant about Naruto's loss of _focus, control, attention_ , or whatever else she decided to go on about.  
"What **else** had you planned on teaching Naruto? Other than what he's failing at now of course" she tried sweetly.  
"Well nothing for now. Even before we weren't allowed to continue I wanted to see if he could manage this first. Obviously _someone_ (glares at Naruto) needs a serious amount of practice." Then Chino turned to face Naruto so she could talk to him directly. "Naruto, right now you suck **so** badly at this all I did was correct you through the entire so-called _demonstration_. Do you even **remember** what it was you were _supposed_ to be doing?"  
Naruto nodded his head rapidly to assure Chino he knew exactly what to do.  
"Not that it actually shows" Chino spat out sarcastically. "And it's not that it matters now anyway. I'm done with you until the ban is lifted."

At this, Shino tapped Chino's arm to get her attention. "I do believe everyone has the same question at the moment. What **did** Naruto _do_ to make the Hokage want you to stop training with him Kusannagi-san?"  
Naruto protested about the problem having to be his fault, but Sakura and Ino were quick to force the irritated blonde to shut up. It was easy to tell that everyone was very interested in hearing whatever the young ANBU was going to say. Even Shikamaru showed signs of interest by half waking up from his nap with Choji pausing in his snacking at the Nara's side.

" _First_ , I would like to point out that it is **still unclear** _whose_ fault it is" Chino started her explanation. "What I **can say** is that something 'considerably undesirable', as Shizune put it, happened during our sparing match. Then Lady Tsunade came to me in the hospital to **personally** deliver her decree that we are, and I quote, 'to stop _any_ and **all** forms of training pending the results of further investigation'. So that's that. No more training together, Hokage's orders." All shinobi assembled, not including Chino and Naruto, were wholly stunned.

Quicker to recover then the others, Neji asked "Are you at liberty to discuss what happened to warrant such a decree", revealing how curious he really was about the whole situation.  
"Wasn't told not to, that I'm aware of."  
Not satisfied with the lack of information or further explanation, Choji pressed on, following in line with Neji. "So are **you** going to tell or do we have to ask **Naruto**?" A few heads turned toward Naruto who was looking foolish since Sakura and Ino were still covering his mouth and holding him down.  
"Ask **whoever** you want but we _won't be able_ to tell you."  
stared at Chino in confusion. "But you said you were allowed to tell us. Are you not willing to share the results of your training with your comrades?"

"I **don't** _mind_ sharing and I **am** _allowed_ to but …." Chino paused briefly searching for the right words. Everyone focused their attention on her. "Being **allowed** and being **able** are two different things entirely. See I _would_ tell you but I _can't_. I don't know what happened and neither does Naruto."

" **Whaddya mean you** _ **don't know**_?" Kiba shouted causing Akamaru to bark angrily. "You guys **were there** and it was 'cause of _something you did_ , so how could you _not know_ **what you did**?"  
Finally having been released from the kunoichi's grasp, Naruto spoke up. "We both blacked out and when we woke up Grandma Tsunade said we had partial amnesia." The explanation may have supplied _**an**_ answer, but it **wasn't** a satisfying one.

"Would _either of you_ care to tell us what you **do** remember?" Shikamaru asked, having abandoned his nap entirely.  
"Preferably **Not** Naruto" Sakura added.  
Chino spoke up first. "Sure thing. Should I start at the beginning? It was only two days after all." Since everyone was still unsure of what Naruto had been trying to demonstrate before, they agreed that the girl should go over what she had been trying to teach him.

**FLASHBACK**

_It all srtaetd 4 dyas ago wehn Naruto met up wtih Iruka wlhie he was on his way to the Aacdmey. Jsut as Chino had pmosreid the nhigt bofere as she lfet him to hvae dnienr and dleveir the Hyuga's mial, Iruka hled a msegsae for Naruto from Tsunade sitnatg her arpvpaol of the piar tinrnaig tetogehr. Niehetr njina wluod hvae gesuesd taht the Hokage's arpvpaol wluod be roevked wtiihn olny two dyas tmie. Not sliprusginy, the arpvpaol cmae wtih the cidoniotn taht Yamato oresbeve the tinrnaig sisosnes in csae the Kyubi solhud sohw isltef. Kakashi, who semeed to hvae nhontig esle bteetr to do, dcedeid to tag anolg so he met up wtih the gurop at the tinrnaig aera._

_The first thing Naruto did was show Chino what he had learned from Asuma. After watching and evaluating Naruto's progress with what he could do, Chino came up with training objectives._ Aim of Day 1 - Expand on what Naruto could do already. _This aim consisted of using basically the same technique Asuma had shown Naruto but applying it differently. Instead of using the technique with bladed weapons like kunai, Naruto would be using wooden staves and shinai. When applied correctly even a mop handle can be used like a cutting weapon. During her demonstration of the technique Chino had managed to scare Naruto half to death by slashing a deep a gash in a boulder behind his head with only a shinai._ [However, this was left out of the retelling at the picnic so as to let Naruto save face, at least a little.]

FLASHBACK _INTERRUPTION_ (Pardon the interruption, it's all Naruto's fault really.)

"This technique was what Naruto was poorly attempting to demonstrate with his chopsticks in the rock garden earlier" Chino explained.  
" **It was all I had**!" Naruto shouted from the next blanket. "It's **not** like there's _shinai_ and _boulders_ just lying around here!" he huffed.  
"You still should have been able to do more than just **knick** the rock. It's no wonder you're still only a _Genin_ " Chino said teasingly.  
" **Like you could do better**!" Naruto screamed indignantly.

"Hinata-san could you hand me that extra pair of chopsticks next to you?" Hinata quickly turned over the requested chopsticks.  
"Ino-san?" Ino looked at Chino quizzically, not sure what she had to do with what was going on.  
" _Yeah_?" [The quiet sound of chopsticks being separated could be heard.]  
" **Duck**."

Saying this, Chino threw the chopstick in her left hand over Ino's head as if she was throwing a kunai. With the help of her wind chakra flow technique the ANBU kunoichi was able to sink the chopstick straight into the tree behind Ino. Only about half a centimeter remained visible, sticking out of the tree. Before Naruto could tell her that a tree is easier than a rock, the bird user motioned for Sai to duck down. He never ducked down so fast in his life. Chino then proceeded to throw the chopstick in her right hand at a rock in the rock garden behind the ROOT operative. Like the left chopstick, only about a half centimeter could be seen.

" _ **Most impressive**_!" Lee exclaimed excitedly.  
" **Naruto** " Chino started to get the boy's attention. "As you can see **I** can do better. Now go be a good boy and go get the chopsticks. Don't give me that look _I'm serious_. _**Fetch**_."  
She emphasized her statement by pointing at the chopstick embedded in the rock. (Kiba had to hold Akamaru still so he wouldn't ' _fetch'_.) Naruto soon discovered that extracting the chopstick from the rock would prove as hard as removing a sword from a stone.

**RETURN TO FLASHBACK**

_Naruto had practiced trying to cut rocks with wooden weapons for the better part of Day 1. On Day 2 Chino decided to introduce Naruto to a second training aim. Then she would pick which one Naruto had the best chance of accomplishing in the near future and they would focus on that one._

Aim of Day 2 - Redirecting projectile weapons using wind chakra _. Such an ability could be used offensively to change the direction of a kunai, shuriken, senbon, etc. thrown by the user to increase the chance of hitting a desired target. Defensively, a variation of the technique can be used to deflect incoming enemy projectiles. Based on Naruto's perceived level of control, Chino decided only to test the defensive aspect with him.  
_ [This resulted in Naruto's earlier epic fail at demonstrating the technique by asking "Who wants to hit me with kunai?" Kiba volunteered and consequently started what became a kunai version of dodge ball. Lee felt the need to join in, on Naruto's side, believing it to be a new form of training. Any kunai Naruto might have actually deflected ended up being hit by Lee so it was impossible to tell if Naruto had successfully done anything at all].

_Sometime after lunch, but before dinner, Naruto was getting particularly frustrated at his inability to successfully deflect the kunai well. Luckily for him, Yamato and Kakashi wouldn't let Chino throw anything too close so as not to actually hit Naruto. Deciding a change in pace would be good for him, Chino asked Naruto to have a sparring match with her. At first, neither combatant took the match very seriously while exchanging blows. Used to a more vigorous style of sparing, Chino attempted to take the friendly match to the level of a typical Amazonian spar. Since he was a jinchuriki Chino felt Naruto would be able to handle it. Blows soon increased in strength and the frequency of ninjutsu usage over taijutsu techniques steadily increased in turn. Naruto used a lot of chakra making shadow clones only to have them slashed up by his opponent's wind chakra jutsu techniques._

_Without meaning to Naruto had tapped into the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox. He had already used up almost all of his own chakra between training with Chino yesterday, continuing to train on his own after she had called it a day, and now from the match itself. Up until this point, Naruto had been losing and Chino wasn't about to give up just because he was using a demon's chakra. Not the best idea but Amazon Village kunoichi were generally stubborn and hesitant to back down._

**END FLASHBACK**

"Next thing I know Naruto isn't just **using** _demon chakra_ , he's _lookin_ g more and more like the **Kyubi**. A very pale Yamato-senpai starts trying to seal the chakra while Kakashi-senpai tried to get between us. It didn't really help because I got slammed really hard into a tree causing it to _crack_ behind me. The weirdest thing is that the blow wasn't what caused me to black out. I still can't explain what really happened exactly. Last thing I remember is getting _really angry_ but it didn't feel like **I** was the one who was angry. At the same time, I stopped using wind natured chakra and switched to my secondary chakra nature – _Fire_. My chakra spiked, the temperature around me started rising, I could see Taka out of the corner of my eye backing off in a panic, then … nothing. I was out cold.

When I woke up I was in the hospital, in the _same room_ as **Naruto** no less. Shizune-san and my cousin Misaki were hovering over me. Yamato-senpai and Kakashi-senpai were giving Lady Tsunade a report on what happened. Then Naruto was sent home because the demon fox's chakra had healed him already. When Yamato-senpai came to visit me the next day he wouldn't tell me anything. Later when I saw Naruto, he told me Kakashi-senpai hadn't told him anything either. Lady Tsunade only told me about how we can't train together anymore right before she let me leave the hospital."

No one knew what to say or think about the story they just heard. It all seemed too unbelievable. Naruto could be heard in the background pestering Sakura to ask Shizune or Grandma Tsunade for details about the incident. Little did they all know that the Hokage had sent messages of report and inquiry to the Amazon Village council about the incident. Chino had also forced Soramaru to deliver her own report to Raiku in case the council didn't feel like sharing the news. Tsunade had also taken the extra precaution of sending a messenger hawk to the Kazekage in Sunagakure to inquire about Chino's behavior during her recent stationing at the Village Hidden in the Sand.

Meanwhile, back at the party, Neji was thinking back to the day in question. "Now that I think about it I remember there being some unusual weather conditions isolated near the training grounds for a short time around late afternoon that day. I thought it strange but if Naruto was under the influence of the Nine-Tails then I guess it's not so strange after all."

"I don't remember Billboard Brow mentioning the demon being able to influence the weather" Ino chimed in. Tenten helped her get Naruto away from Sakura long enough to question her. Sakura couldn't say for sure if the Kyubi was the one to change the weather, but she did agree that it made sense. During the conversation so far Shikamaru had listened intently and quietly. Choji just watched on as his friend maintained what he referred to as Shikamaru's trademark thinking pose. Finally the Nara decided to speak up.

"I'm _not_ entirely sure it was _all_ the Nine-Tailed Fox's doing. Around the time of the unusual weather I also noticed an **unfamiliar** , _yet powerful_ , chakra in that area. It **wasn't** the demon fox's and it **wasn't** coming from Kusannagi-san either."  
Then Choji added "I remember Asuma mentioning that a friend of his in the missions room told him about reports of the villagers seeing things in the clouds. For now it's officially labeled as a _mass hallucination_ , right Shikamaru?"  
Shikamaru just nodded. Shino mentioned how when he and Kiba passed by Kurenai on their way to the picnic she was talking with a fellow shinobi about sightings of strange shadows in the clouds during the change in the weather. Shikamaru, encouraged by Shino's revelation, decided to gather whatever information the others could provide.

Neji had already supplied what he had to offer and Hinata had been inside with her father at the time so she had missed the whole thing. Sakura had also missed the whole thing, having been assisting with a surgery at the time. Ino had been with Choji and Shikamaru when Asuma had talked with the team. Sai had seen Yamato carrying Chino and Kakashi carrying Naruto to the hospital. He had seen the group from the back so he hadn't gotten a good look at the two unconscious figures. Lee was of no use since he was too busy trying to get Chino to tell him what it was like fighting an overshadowed Naruto.  
"Did Gai say anything to you guys?" Shikamaru asked Tenten.  
"Honestly I try to ignore him when he talks. Usually it's all just a bunch of nonsense anyway. Sorry I couldn't be of more help." It couldn't be helped so Shikamaru started doing the best he could with what was available. While Shikamaru pieced the situation together Kiba was growing more restless.  
"I'm still not buying that only a few days ago you fought a **demon version** of _Naruto_ and you're already well enough for a picnic."

"For your information Dog Boy, Amazonian kunoichi are particularly resilient and powerful, especially the ANBU. We can be our own one woman army when we want to be. Now imagine what we can do with a few three person cells of kunoichi like that. Plus when you grow up around two mini Tsunades you toughen up or wind up dead."  
As Chino talked on, Sai nearly fainted at the thought of a group of Kusannagi-esque ANBU teams bent on beating him senseless just for being part of ROOT. He was certain he wouldn't survive and it was all too much for him. Chino continued arguing with Kiba about the strength of kunoichi and how he can't compare all of them to just the few he knows.

Abruptly Chino stopped arguing. She could have slapped herself at the thought that popped into her head. ' _I sound like Raiku-hime. Damn. How is it she can still influence me like that even though I haven't been around her recently_?'

Kiba hadn't stopped arguing while Chino became lost in her thoughts. Snapping out of it Chino yelled right in Kiba's face. " **If I can survive being attacked by the Akatsuki when I was on my own I can certainly manage to kick your ass Pup! I've had enough of you and your comments. You wanna fight me to prove it**?"  
Hinata was nearing her wits end. This is not what she envisioned happening at the party. Luckily, Neji and Shino stopped Kiba and Akamaru before they could answer the challenge.  
"You really went up against the _Akatsuki_ **alone**?" Shino questioned not really able to believe it.

"Well it **wasn't** my choice and to be honest there was only one of them. No idea where the partner was at the time. I got lucky that it was one on one and by _some miracle_ our kekkei genkais sorta cancelled each other out. Totally wore me out. Taka, Ashido, and Yokuyami had caught up to me and got me outta there before he could recover."  
A few of the Rookie 9 were impressed while one kunoichi was a little more interested in something else.  
"Who's Ashido and Yokuyami?" Ino asked.  
"My twin brother and his bird partner."  
Before Ino could ask more about Chino's brother, Sakura cut in. "Did you say they had a **kekkei genkai**? Which member was it?"

"The one with the crazy eyes." A very non-descriptive response to be sure.  
"They're the Akatsuki. They **all** have crazy eyes and for all we know they could _all_ have a _kekkei genkai_ " Tenten pointed out.  
Shikamaru also wasn't happy with the answer. "Want to be a little more descriptive? And please **don't** tell us about the _cloak with red clouds_ on it **or** _their hat_ because they **all** wear the same thing so that won't help."

Before Chino could answer she was distracted by something or someone trying to sneak up close to the party goers. For now she seemed to be the only one to take any notice. It wouldn't be for long though as one of the Hyuga branch members, Chino thought to be Ko, walked up to whatever was attempting to sneak around. Ko was visibly too frustrated with what or whoever it was to care that he was disturbing a party set up by a main branch member. Story time would have to wait because Chino was too interested in seeing how this would play out to answer her fellow shinobi's question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 10 will start off with Chino vs. the Akatsuki member. (I'm pretty sure most people can guess who it is.)


	11. And Now For Story Time Part 1: Chino and the Akatsuki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter - Ko gets to interact with the other shinobi and Chino tells of her run in with an Akatsuki member
> 
> This chapter contains a reference to a tie-in piece with my other Naruto fanfic One day in Orochimaru's Lair (chapter 10 – Chino Meets Sasuke) in case anyone reading both stories is interested.

 

"What are you staring at?" Naruto asked innocently enough.  
"Him" Chino responded while pointing right at Ko Hyuga's approaching form.

"Sorry to interrupt the party Hinata-sama, but your sister has _esc_ … I mean, _ran away_ from her training. I believe she is trying to sneak into your party."  
Then he looked in the direction of where he was sure Hanabi was hiding.  
"Even though your father had expressly forbid her from doing so."

As Hinata tried to tell Ko he wasn't interrupting anything, Akamaru had stretched out near the bush Hanabi was hiding in. With a loud sneeze Hanabi had now alerted all present to her exact location. She quickly jumped out from her hiding space and tried to some distance between her, Akamaru, and of course, Ko. The Hyuga branch member tried to reason with the young girl and convince Hanabi to return to her training but to no avail. As stubborn as ever, Hanabi held firm and wouldn't move any closer to the man. In fact she did the opposite by attempting to run away.

Everyone just watched as Ko chased the girl around the picnic blankets in a desperate attempt to catch her. Some of the others felt they should help the poor man but were unsure how to without accidently hurting either one of them. It all seemed pretty ridiculous and Chino was getting fed up with the little scene. She walked purposefully right up to where Shikamaru and Chouji were sitting. Chino nudged the shadow wielder with her foot.

"Shikamaru-san would you please be a _dear_ and help the poor Hyuga out with your _shadow possession jutsu_?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the statement.  
"Why should Icatch the _little brat_? It's not _my_ problem" he complained.

"I'll give you two good reasons" Chino stated holding up her right hand.  
"One: your jutsu has the leastpotential for severe bodily harm, _especially_ if it gets someone other than the intended target.  
Two: this little scene is giving me a _headache_ , so if you don't help you'll find a _kunai_ shoved right …."

"Alright I get it! I'll help just put _that_ away. Just get someone to distract them so I have a better shot at catching her shadow."

Content that she was getting her way, Chino told Shikamaru she had an idea for a distraction that would probably work. To that, Chino could hear the Nara muttering under his breath about her being a troublesome woman and something being a total drag as he got into position to use the jutsu.

With a loud voice Chino launched her distraction by shouting "Oh look Hinata-san. Isn't that your father walking by with an _important looking guest_?"  
Just as she thought would happen, all Hyugas present froze and turned toward the nearest building.

Most of the other party goers who didn't know what Chino and Shikamaru were doing also looked for Hiashi and his guest. None of the others, except for maybe Chouji, heard Shikamaru say _'Shadow_ _Possession_ _Jutsu'_ over Chino's shouting. They did however, notice that there was no one there to be seen.

"Ha! Problem solved, _I win_!" Chino called to Hanabi who was trapped in the jutsu.

"Is someone gonna grab her? I'm notgoing to hold her all day you know" Shikamaru complained now that he had everyone's attention.  
"Maybe Neji should use **'** Gentle Fist **'** on her so she can't escape again" Tenten teased the little Hyuga.

" ** _Don't you dare_**!" Hanabi shouted furiously.

Then she cursed and threatened the lot of them. With the amount of witnesses present there wasn't much need to worry that any of the threats would ever be carried out. That aside, it did make Hanabi feel better making them. Eventually she quieted down enough to try talking to her again. The angry little Hyuga finally agreed to leave peacefully, IF she could hear the Kusannagi tell the story about her meeting an Akatsuki member. Feeling pressured, Chino agreed to comply with Hanabi's demand (just to get rid of her).

"Keep in mind that this was five or six years ago, at least" Chino started.  
"Who cares about _that_? Just tell us who it was!" Kiba demanded.  
" _Fine_ " Chino huffed.  
"It was the Uchiha traitor."

A few people in the group gasped.  
" ** _Itachi_**!" Naruto cried out.  
He moved closer to Chino at her statement.

"You know there was another boy, who would be about your age, I met once who reacted kinda like that" she told Naruto.

"Was it _Sasuke_? Where did you see him? Tell me!" Naruto said desperately as ended up tackling Chino to the ground in a compromising position.  
Taka was not happy about this maneuver and quickly started attacking Naruto while Chino tried to the struggling blonde away.

"What was _that_ for? What part of _years ago_ do you not understand? Even if it was him he's notthere now. _Get off_! Dammit Naruto you have to stop jumping on me, you're _heavy_." [ _Anyone interested in Chino meeting Sasuke can see Chapter 3 of my other story One Day in Orochimaru's Lair. That's all the chapter is about and it's told through Sasuke's POV_.]

After Naruto was pried away from Chino, a mysterious, possibly ninja, fangirl popped up out of nowhere with a sign.  
_'Naruto just admit you'd rather be jumping Sasuke'_ was printed in big bold letters on the over-sized sign.  
Without warning the fangirl was gone as quickly as she appeared. Chino stared dumbfounded as the spot where the fangirl had mysteriously appeared/disappeared.

" _T' hell_? Uhh whah huh" came out of Chino's mouth along with a mixture of other confused sounds. She started pointing again and pulling her hand back then pointing again before continuing.  
" _You see that just now_?" the ANBU girl asked the nearest shinobi.

They didn't know what she was talking about. All eyes had been on her and Naruto so of course Chino was the only one to see the fangirl. Her eyes were the only ones looking in the right direction.  
"Never mind, I must be losing it. Unless you ask my friends back home. They'll tell you I lost my mind long ago. It's not important really. What was I saying before Naruto stopped me?"

"You were going to tell us how you heroically overcame Itachi of the Akatsuki with the power of youth!" LEE answered her fervently.  
"I don't remember saying anythingabout _heroics_ or _youth_ but OK" Chino reminded him before going on.  
"Anyway …. I was in the Land of Lightning on a mission with a group of other shinobi from my village. There was an extended break time so my brother and I decided to get in some training while we waited instead of dying of boredom ….."

**FLASHBACK**

_To be truthful, Chino and her twin Ashido were in more of a competitive mood than a training mood. Back at the Kusannagi compound in the Amazon Village they had developed a game of sorts that utilized their clan's kekkei genkai. They called the game 'Bird Collecting' because the point of the game was to use the kekkei genkai to link with as many birds as possible and then get them to follow you. Each person had to then lead the birds to a designated area, within a specific time limit, to be counted. Originally the game was developed so the twins could experiment with a pseudo-loophole in the ability's weakness, but it eventually turned into a contest._

_While Chino was jumping through the trees trying to win at 'Bird Collecting', a branch suddenly broke under her feet. With little opportunity to recover she braced herself for the impact. Now she was wishing she hadn't asked Taka to scout ahead for other birds. Her hawk partner would have been able to help Chino in a situation like this. Much to her surprise, Chino landed in someone's arms before being dropped to the forest floor. Not paying attention to who it was the girl assumed it to be her brother._

" _Ashido you jerk_ _! Don't catch a person_ _just_ _so you can drop them on their ass,_ especially if it's a lady _! I may be your sister but that_ _doesn't_ _mean you get to_ stop _treating me like a_ _girl_ _!"_  
The Kusannagi girl then looked up from her spot on the ground into the slightly amused eyes of Itachi. Taken aback and slightly afraid Chino stuttered.  
"Y-You're not my my brother."

" _No I am not" was the quiet response from the Akatsuki member._

_"Guess I should apologize, huh?"_

_Itachi looked away from the girl, listening to the sound of the birds that had been following her.  
"It's not necessary. I am not the person you thought I was."  
That wasn't the kind of response Chino had expected to hear from the stranger._ _  
__"You see that's_ _exactly_ _the kind of_ annoying thing _he does so I thought_ you _were_ him _. He_ _should_ _be around here_ somewhere _."_

_Ignoring the explanation, Itachi asked the girl a question.  
"You're brother … Is he older or younger than you?"_

" _He's younger by a few minutes. We're_ twins _,_ _why_ _?"_ _  
__Avoiding Chino's gaze Itachi stated flatly "I have a younger brother."_ _  
__Chino's eyes lit up at the idea of having someone else to play with besides her brother.  
"_ Really _? Is he with you? Or maybe somewhere nearby? How old is he?" Chino cried while looking around for the boy._

_"He's not with me or somewhere nearby, but he would be around your age. I'm sorry but we haven't been around each other for a very long time."_ _  
_ _Chino pouted while telling him "That's too bad. You know you should probably do something to fix that. You seem to miss him and he is your brother after all."_

_Hearing such a statement made Itachi give her a wry smile thinking about what the_ one thing _he would have to do to "_ _fix_ _" the situation. Even_ if _there was another way, Itachi couldn't see a time when he and Sasuke could have a similar relationship as this girl had with little brother. (_ At least, not while they were both alive _.) There was a chance_ _once_ _, but he had destroyed it in one night long ago._

_This whole time Chino had failed to recognize Itachi as an Akatsuki member. Due to the sugar high Chino was working off she wasn't exactly thinking clearly._ (This also contributed to the reason why the rest of the Amazon shinobi were in no hurry to stop the twins from wandering off during the break.) _She ended up babbling on about Itachi's clothes and appearance. Something seemed familiar about the cloak and hat, but it still wasn't clicking why Chino should know them. As she talked and Itachi listened, Taka came down to Chino wondering what was taking her so long. The hawk was in the middle of telling her they were approaching the time limit for the game when he noticed Itachi._

" _I forgot about the time limit on the game!" Chino shouted as she got up from the ground where she had been sitting.  
"If we hurry we can still make it back in time to win. BYE, gotta run! Oops, I almost forgot this."_ _  
__The last words were in reference to Chino's hitai-ate that had fallen off her belt from where she usually hid it while not on missions. Unfortunately for Chino Itachi saw what it was she picked up off the ground._

_"You're a_ _Leaf Shinobi_ _" he said menacingly._   
_"That a problem for you?" Chino said defensively still not recognizing she was in danger._ _  
_ _Taka was the one to recognize the man in front of them for what he was and warned Chino he was Akatsuki just as Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Instinctively Chino had activated her own kekkei genkai full force as she was being drawn into the Tsukuyomi technique._

_From inside the Tsukuyomi Itachi addressed Chino.  
"I didn't want to do this but I cannot allow you to tell other Leaf Shinobi of my presence in the area."_

_Before he could go into his normal speech of how long Chino would be trapped and what he would do to her, Itachi was caught off guard. For the first time since he started using Tsukuyomi he realized something was not right. It hurt more than usual to use the technique. Birds that weren't of his making also seemed to fill the sky around the mysterious girl. He also thought he could detect the presence of something he could not identify drifting on the edge of the girl's consciousness, threatening to overshadow them both. Looking at her face he could see the girl was afraid but it also showed the strain of intense concentration._

_"Your eyes …."_

" _You're_ _not_ _the only one with a dojutsu type_ kekkei genkai _you know!" Chino managed to say in response._

_Bird's eyes could be seen on the girl's face where human ones should have been. He didn't completely understand what was going on but he guessed the unaccounted for birds must be related to her ability. Trying to control Chino's mind and that of over three dozen panicked birds at the same time was not something Itachi was sure how to handle. It was difficult processing the clamor of strange distorted sounds echoing in his mind coming from the animals. Itachi's ability wasn't meant to be used on non-humans and his brain wasn't wired for making sense of it all. His technique was growing unstable as the pain increased and the resulting strain was weakening him quickly._

_"I … don't … understand …. what's …. happening" Itachi stammered, clutching his head._

" _My mind is connected to all these bids at the same time so when you pulled me in you brought them in with me. From the looks of it this will end when one of us can't handle the strain anymore" Chino told him._

_Right now she was pretty sure she would pass out first and Chino hoped he wouldn't have the strength to attack her when the technique broke. Unexpectedly Itachi broke off the Tsukuyomi almost instantly after she stopped speaking to him. Back in the real world both shinobi had collapsed. Chino was barely conscious and Itachi was only slightly better off. Somehow the two kekkei genkais had cancelled each other out miraculously._

_Unready to give up just yet Itachi got out kunai to throw at his prey. They never made it to their intended target. Ashido, who had felt something was wrong, had been looking for Chino and arrived just in time to deflect the incoming kunai with a rock and dirt wall he created with his Earth style jutsu. Without wasting any time Ashido grabbed his twin while his bird partner, Yokuyami, took hold of Taka who had been drawn into the enemy's technique along with the wild birds. Shinobi and bird transported away before another volley of projectiles could find their way to the group._

**END FLASHBACK**

"That was a _very_ close call" Neji mused.  
" _Too_ close" Ino added.  
"A little closer than I would have liked, but as you can see I'm still here to talk about it."  
Taka nodded agreeing with his partner. He still couldn't believe that day had even happened.

"You would've been _dead_ if your brother hadn't found you" Hanabi pointed out.  
"You were lucky, very lucky. I can't think of _anyone_ from school who I could be on a team with who would've been able to do that for me."

Chino snickered. "Nobody wants to save the _Ice Princess_. Why _doesn't_ that surprise me? If your attitude at school is anything like it is outside of it that certainly would _not_ encourage people to stick their neck out for you. Besides, teammates are different from family. Don't tell me you think Hinata-san would've left you behind."

Hanabi stared at her timid older sister. "Hinata would pass out from _fear_ long before she would have the chance. I would rather have to be saved by Nejior _this guy_. At least as branch members they would have to try and save me no matter how scared they were because it's their _duty_."

Ko wasn't sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult. "Hanabi-sama don't you think you are being a little too harsh on Hinata-sama."

Hanabi shook her head before addressing Ko.  
"Everyone knows if it was up to her, I, or anyone else, would be doomed. Isn't that why Father expects you to _protect_ her and Neji to _keep an eye_ on her?"  
Ko was too flustered to answer and Hinata tried harder to disappear from sight out of embarrassment.

To everyone's surprise shock Kiba was the first person to say what everyone else had been thinking.  
"She got to hear her story now get the brat outta here."  
Neji rose in case Ko would require help getting the young Hyuga out of the yard.  
"Kiba's right. You agreed to leave."

Hanabi could sense she really wasn't wanted and followed Ko back to the house. Ino, Sakura, and Tenten had pulled Hinata away from the others to give her a pep talk and keep her from crying. Most of the guys argued about how rude Hanabi was. Shino had his eye on Chino who had activated her kekkei genkai and was clearly planning to do something to the girl.

"Don't do anything you'll regret" he warned.  
"Aren't you at least a little upset? Hinata-san is on your team."  
Shino watched the angry kunoichi before him, touched that she would feel protective of a girl she hardly knew.  
"I am upset but if you did anything to her sister that would not make Hinata feel better. That's the kind of person she is."

Chino turned her back on the Aburame and went to go check on Hinata but Chouji grabbed her arm as she passed by.  
"What do you want?"

Chouji looked over his shoulder at Shikamaru. Apparently it was the Nara who wanted her but he had his friend stop Chino because he was closer to her.  
'How lazy can one guy be?' Chino thought.

"What did you do? _Don't_ try to hide it. You _definitely_ did _something_."

Chino smirked at the lazy shadow boy before announcing  
"I simply asked a few of the local birds to make it a priority to relieve themselves on the little brat at their earliest convenience."  
Chino beamed at her divulgence of the devious plot.

"Subtle, _real_ subtle" Shikamaru muttered while trying to picture Hanabi's reaction.  
"It is isn't it? Stuff happens so most people would chalk that up to bad luck."

It turned out that Chino didn't have to worry about Hinata. Her fellow kunoichi had helped Hinata a lot and soon all was back to how it was before Hanabi had almost ruined everything. As things were returning to normal, some servants had come to clear away the food and bring out dessert. All attention was now focused on the food and a happy atmosphere returned to the party. The guests talked with Chino about life in the village and their favorite stores and places to eat. Sometimes the Konoha shinobi told Chino about things that happened on missions or swapped funny stories about their days in the Academy.


	12. And Now For Story Time: Part 2 – A History Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You will soon see two variations of the spelling of the Kusannagi clan name.  
> It is not a mistake and it will make sense once Chino starts the Flashback.
> 
> The history of the Kusannagi clan and its ties to the Senju clan are finally revealed. Overall there's more drama than humor in this chapter because of the nature of the flashbacks. With the drama out of the way the two chapters following will go back to focusing on humor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: Since this is considered a slight AU, some facts about the founding of Konoha and the Ninja Wars may not match up with canon material from the anime and manga.

 

During this whole time something had been sticking out in Sakura's mind.  
' _I feel like I've heard the Kusannagi name before, but_ where _or_ when _? I'm sure it was while we were on a mission. Asking Naruto is pointless. The only thing he ever remembers is the food he eats. If_ _Sasuke_ _was here he would have known_.'

Having the knowledge of where she heard the name before escape her, Sakura slowly began fixating on the matter. It bothered her more and more the longer she thought about it. Thinking about Sasuke and his betrayal of the Village wasn't making things any better. That was until her thoughts of Sasuke led her to the information she had been trying to remember. It was Orochimaru who had said the name and this was disturbing Sakura.

"Does the Sword of Kusanagi have anything to do with your family Kusannagi-san?" Sakura asked nervously.

"At one time it did, but it was lost a long time ago and then it was stolen. It hasn't had any connection to the family in quite a number of years. How do _you_ even know of it Sakura-san?" Chino responded.

Sakura let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding.  
"You have no idea what a relief it is to hear you say that. The only reason I asked is because Orochimaru has it now. Since he uses snakes and not birds I shouldn't have been that worried."  
Anyone who hadn't been paying attention tensed at hearing Orochimaru's name. They couldn't help it after all the trouble his group has caused.

"I'm not that surprised really. The former branch family of my clan used _snakes_ instead of birds. He probably got it off of one of the surviving members. They were thought to all be dead by now, but anything is possible I guess."  
Then Chino turned toward Neji specifically before continuing.  
"Remember a few days ago when I told you my clan doesn't believe in branch families?"

"Yes, I remember" Neji said flatly.  
"Well that's kinda the reason. The snake using branch family took off with the sword after betraying the clan. After that the clan elders decided not to have branch families and a main family anymore and changed the rules of how the clan chooses its leaders."

Naruto scratched his head in confusion.  
"Wait I don't get it. How can a group of people who use snakes be related to people who use birds? Don't snakes eat birds?"

Shino spoke up before Chino could answer him.  
"Snakes eat small birds, baby birds, and bird's eggs. Some birds of prey eat snakes. They are each other's natural enemy."  
The others also thought about how that would work if the two families animal partners were meant to kill each other.

"Yeah _how_ does that work?" Kiba asked.  
He was trying to picture what would happen of an Inuzuka family started raising cats instead of dogs. That was the closest scenario he could come up with and in his mind that would not end well.

"Not very well, as I'm sure you can imagine" Chino replied.  
"If that's true, then how did everyone manage before the clan split?" Tenten inquired curiously.  
"Hard to say. What records we have on the clan before the split is mostly pure history. Until the civil war, there's not much mention of the social aspect. If there _was_ it was left out of the general history lessons."

" _Civil War_?" many of the Rookie 9 shouted at once.

"Don't act so surprised. Before Konoha was founded and during the Great Ninja Wars, a lot of clans had similar problems. If they weren't fighting _each other_ than they were fighting _other clans_. When the Senju's and Uchiha's united and formed this Village that was pretty much the end of some of the problems. Don't you guys learn anything of history at the Academy?"

Shikamaru decided to speak for the group.  
"Our history lessons tend to focus on the founding of Konoha and the end of the Third Great Ninja War. We don't get much on what happened to any other groups outside of the Village."  
"You were actually _awake_ for those lessons" Ino teased.

"You seem to know a lot about Konoha and how it was founded" Sai pointed out.

"Course I do ROOT boy. The ancestors of my clan had already signed up with the Senjus long before that and served under them during that time. The Senjus reorganized the Amazon village, where a branch of the Senju clan had been living, during the same time. Then they sent the Kusannagi's there to live. It was part of the agreement the Senjus made with the Uchihas when they founded Konoha. Apparently besides wanting their own district they wanted us as far away from them as possible. My clan didn't care since we never really considered ourselves allies of the Uchiha clan. Now that I think about it, I wonder if what happened with me and Itachi used to happen regularly. If that was true I can see why they made that stipulation. Didn't want anyone around that could interfere with their precious Sharingan abilities."

"I _don't_ remember learning about your clan _or_ the Amazon Village while in the Academy" Neji said.  
"You wouldn't have. The Amazon Village was always meant to remain a _secret_ from all but the _Hokage_ and his/her most trusted shinobi."

"Should you even be telling us then?" Sakura interrupted.

"If Naruto can call the Lady Hokage ' _Grandma_ ' and she feels comfortable trusting your group completely, especially with important and difficult missions, then I think that is enough to include you as part of the ' _most trusted shinobi_ '. Now as I was saying … you could call the Amazon Village as a backup plan of sorts. If Konoha was ever on the brink of extinction it was our understanding that the Village of Amazons would aid you and take in the survivors if necessary. More than likely the Uchiha clan thought the Senju clan wouldn't keep in contact with my Village and we would just disappear. _Obviously_ that didn't happen."

"That still doesn't explain the whole snakes and birds trying to live together thing" Chouji protested.  
Then Shino added, "I agree. That requires more explanation."  
All of the other ninja at the picnic showed their agreement either vocally or through various gestures.

"There's no way for me to explain that without it sounding a history lesson. Are you sure you want that?" Chino questioned.

Naruto and Kiba could be heard complaining about being in school again but most of the others didn't seem to mind. (Therefore they were outvoted because the rule of the majority seems to apply even to ninjas.) Lee actually was very passionate about 'embarking on a quest for knowledge in the springtime of youth', and so on and so forth. Seeing there would be no escaping it Chino gave in.

"I hope you're all ready for Story time because this could potentially take a while."

**HISTORICAL FLASHBACK** [aka History Lesson]

_Long before the beginning of the first Great Ninja War the Kusannagi clan was made of individuals with an affinity for animals. The clan's kekkei genkai allowed members to communicate with and perform specialized jutsus with the animals they linked with. It was unsure at that time how the link worked and why it seemed to work with a number of different animal types.  
Many clan members believed that whatever animal a person first established a link with was the type of animal you would be able to use the kekkei genkai with, and only that type, for the rest of your life. Regardless of how the ability first worked, members of various branches of the family intermarried and slowly clan members stopped developing links with certain types of animals._

_Overtime the majority of clan members linked with either birds or snakes until these were the only animals that the kekkei genkai worked with. There were now two distinct branches of the family. Within the clan, the original head of the clan was an ancestor of a family that tended to use birds rather than snakes, so that part of the clan was recognized as the main branch. Although the snake using part of the clan was officially named a branch family there had never been a real distinction between branches prior to this.  
To ease tensions and attempt to avoid feelings of inferiority, the _ **_Sword of Kusannagi_ ** _was entrusted to the branch family. It was meant for the snake handlers to protect the sword and in turn use it to protect the entire clan. Hence the sword's current association with snakes (even before Orochimaru got his hands/tongue on it)._

_The sword had a reputation for being powerful but it hadn't been used in many years. Some great many years prior the sword was once wielded by a kunoichi who was later recognized as the most powerful leader of the Kusannagi clan. She had used it during what was now known as the First Civil War, in her campaign to unite the clan and bring peace. It had been said that the_ Sword of Kusannagi _was re-forged from its original form under the heat of the fire from a dragon. Not just any dragon mind you, but the Dragon King, a deity-like ancient being who could take the form of a dragon or a man.  
Currently this part of the history of the sword is believed to be nothing more than a myth. This was the result of most people believing the Dragon King could not have actually existed and there are few reliable records of that point in the clan's history. Either way that subject is part of another history lesson altogether and has no direct bearing on the current story. (Although it may prove to a more interesting lesson.)_

_As time moved on and the beginnings of the First Great Ninja War were soon approaching, (during the time when the Uchiha clan and Senju clan were not yet allies) the current clan leader thought it best to take certain precautions to ensure the future of the clan. Namely, the clan aligning itself with other powerful shinobi clans to be more precise. Such an action caused division within the clan.  
The bird handlers of the main branch supported the clan leader's proposal while the snake handlers of the branch family vehemently protested. It was the clan leader's belief that should the shinobi clans of what is now the five Great Nations being involved in a full scale war it would eventually lead to the downfall or devastation of many a shinobi clan. With the current state of the shinobi world in mind one can see how wise the clan was at the time._

_In his opinion, the best way for the shinobi clans to survive was to unite as allies, falling in line with a strength in numbers mentality. No matter how hard the clan leaders and the elders tried to reason with each other the branches still remained divided. Elders from the branch family insisted that if the Kusannagi's allied themselves with a clan as powerful as the Senjus, as had been suggested, then the clan would end up serving them and be under their thumb for a great many years to come. Given the current relations between the Kusannagi and Senju clan, they weren't that far off. Main branch members were willing to take that path over extinction and it became clear that the clan's fate was moving toward reaching out to the Senju clan._

_Unhappy that their feelings were largely ignored by the main branch, the branch family started a civil war. In the end, the main branch won what would become known as the Second and hopefully last) Civil War. Not satisfied with their defeat, the branch family broke away from the main branch entirely and left the country. When the branch family left they took the_ Sword of Kusannagi _with them. They also dropped an '_ ** _n_** _' in the clan's name to distinguish themselves from the main branch of the Kusannagi clan (but were too proud to abandon the name altogether). After changing the name, the new_ _Kusanagi_ _clan renamed the sword and changed the emblem of their clan. This is how the sword became the Sword of Kusanagi under the_ _Kusanagi_ _emblem of a snake entwined around a sword which is below a barely visible, slim crescent moon (right side of the symbol)._

_There was, for a time, attempts made to recapture the sword, but eventually as the_ _ Kusanagi _ _clan became further divided and scattered among the 5 Great Nations. The campaign was abandoned. As of now it is believed that the_ _ Kusanagi _ _clan was wiped out during the Great Ninja Wars. Anyone who still believes the remnants of the clan still exist agree that they have fled to parts widely unknown, far beyond the borders of the 5 Great Nations. Considering the clan was counted as outlaws soon after the division from the main branch that may have been their best chance of survival._

_Meanwhile, before the first Great Ninja War the survivors from the Civil War from the Kusannagi clan had moved ahead with their plan to become allies of the Senju clan. Senju leaders had accepted the Kusannagi clan as allies and made use of the clan's kekkei genkai for tracking and surveillance right through to the founding of Konoha. Because of the kekkei genkai the Kusannagi clan cemented itself as valued members of what would become the ANBU Black Ops and continue in that tradition to this day.  
After the founding of Konoha and the reorganization of the Village of Amazons, the Kusannagi clan was asked to renew their oaths of allegiance with the Senju clan in addition to the Hokage, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and the Land of Fire. Once this was completed the Kusannagi clan was formally charged with the task of aiding in the continued safety of the Amazon Village and the protection of the Senju family who remained in that Village. In return the Kusannagi clan would receive the protection and financial support of the Senju clan, thus ensuring the future safety of the Kusannagi clan._

_It should be noted that occasionally someone in the Kusannagi clan would be born with an affinity for snakes instead of birds. This was due to the presence of the old genes that were remnants of the time when the two branches would sometimes intermarry. Whenever this did happen, the person with the alternate affinity always ended up causing trouble for the clan. Without fail these people wound up as rogues or traitors in some respect. As a result, the clan elders developed a policy of exiling or executing any clan members positively identified as a snake handler as quickly as possible for the protection of the rest of the clan._

**END HISTORICAL FLASHBACK**

"That pretty much covers the whole story" Chino concluded.  
"At some point before the end of the First Great Ninja War, the Sword of Kusanagi was said to have been stolen from the clan which is why I told Sakura-san it was _lost_ and then _stolen_. Which lead to it no longer being connected to my family. From what Sakura-san said I'm guessing Orochimaru either got the sword off of the person who stole it or their descendent. Since he uses snake related jutsu I could see why he would want it for himself. Or the sword really does have magical properties and found its way to him out of a sense of nostalgia. Either way at least now we know where to find it so it's not really a lost sword anymore."

"That was somewhat of a depressing story" Ino mumbled once Chino finished speaking.  
"No one ever said war wasn't going to be depressing" Shikamaru remarked to his fellow teammate.

"Many of the clans have great _tragedies_ in their histories" Neji said to nobody in particular. Hinata placed her hand on her cousin's shoulder remembering the Hyuga clan's most recent tragedy surrounding Neji's family.  
"We have seen our fair share of traitor's to their clan" Shino spoke without having to mention who he was referring to.  
There was no need to.

Sakura unconsciously stiffened and Sai backed away at the comment thinking back to what happened with Sasuke's family and the results of those events. Thinking of Sasuke's problems and what he just heard of the Kusannagi's current situation made Naruto go into a rant about what he would do as the Hokage. Mostly he just ranted about changes he would make that he believed would help prevent problems in the future. There were a lot of things he saw about how clans operated that he thought were wrong. If he could have his way there would be no clans and all shinobi would be treated as equals.

"Most honorable goals indeed!" Lee shouted, getting carried away with Naruto's speech.  
"Too bad it all depends on this _knuckle-headed_ ninja" Kiba teased while a few of the others laughed in agreement.  
This incited Naruto further. "Just you watch! One day I _will_ be Hokage and things will change. _Believe it!"_

"One day isn't today so _sit down_ already you idiot!" Sakura hissed as she pulled Naruto back down to the blanket.  
"I appreciate the sentiment Naruto, but my clan would never fully accept any changes you make. _Unless_ you can get them to be approved by a descendent of the first or second Hokage or the Senju founder of the Amazon Village, that is. The way the clan elders see it, things started with the Senjus and they'll _end_ with the Senjus. Besides, keeping traitors in the Village will come back to bite you in the ass sooner or later."

Naruto had serious reservations about Chino's last statement.  
"People _can_ change you know, even traitors."

Chino shook her head dismally.  
"Naruto I know you feel strongly on this but…" she hesitated before finishing her statement knowing it would probably hurt the boy.  
"Although people _can_ change, they have to _want_ to change for it to happen. Some people just _don't_ want to change and you'll have to accept that eventually. I know that can hurt but it is true. Trust me, I know."

Luckily for Chino none of the others asked her what she meant by that last sentence. Even if they had she wouldn't have told them. She still had not forgiven him for his betrayal and what she was forced to do because of it. With any luck her new Konoha friends would never learn the truth about what happened only a few short years ago.

The heaviness in the atmosphere that had settled a short time ago did not last long. The kunoichi of the group hastily tried to change the subject. They were successful in their distraction and the mood improved with the discussion of lighter topics. Most people chatted happily, all but Kiba who went back to teasing Naruto for just about anything and everything. When it got late enough, the picnic party ended on a cheerful note. The two Hyuga's returned to the main house as servants cleaned up the yard. The guests left with their respective teams to head toward home. Chino wasn't with a Team and she wasn't about to walk out with KI8A and his teammate since the Inuzuka was still mad at her. With little other choice she decided to leave with Naruto and Team 7 since she lived in the same apartment building as him (much to Sai's disappointment).


	13. Plans In Motion: Part 1 – The Plans Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There will be 4 plans covered within the next 3 chapters. Originally all the plans were one insanely long chapter. I don't know what I was thinking when I decided that so now it's broken down into more manageable segments.
> 
> This Chapter will feature:  
>  Plan 1 - which focuses on what the characters plan to do after the party is over and Shino's plan to learn more about Chino (somehow).  
>  Plan 2 - Lee's plan for setting up a sparing match between himself and Chino.

 

**Plan 1:** _Establishing Connections_

"That was quite an interesting party wasn't it Kusannagi-san?" Sakura asked cheerful.  
"Yeah I guess so. Not what I'm used to, but still good. Feels weird to leave without a fight" Chino responded.

All of Team 7 stared at the foreigner in shock and disbelief.  
"FIGHT?" all of the team seemed to say at once.

"Guess it's not the norm here, but where I come from its kind of hard to get through any large gathering of people without _at least one_ fight breaking out. Parties included. Usually it's over the stupidest little things too" Chino offered in explanation.  
Nobody felt like exploring the issue any further. Each young shinobi came to their own conclusion of how this sister Village of Konoha was a very different sort of place from what they were used to. It certainly seemed like a tough place to grow up in for one thing. Then in a statement that seemed to come out of nowhere, Chino changed the subject entirely.

"You know there's no reason for you to keep your distance ROOT boy. This is _your_ team not _mine_ after all, _right_?"

This prompted Sakura and Naruto to look behind them at Sai. Apparently neither of them had noticed their newest teammate had been hanging back. Considering the rather large gap between them it's really surprising that they hadn't noticed. This just goes to show how well they had gotten used to having a replacement team member. Up until this point, any passing villager would have assumed that Chino was the third member of the team and Sai was a tag along [not the Girl Scout cookie], not the other way around. Either that or he was some kind of stalker.

Sai spoke up timidly as he somewhat bridged the gap between himself and the team.  
"That _is_ true but you still seem to have some hostility toward me because of my former position as a _ROOT_ ANBU."

Chino rolled her eyes and then looked away. She ruffled her hawk partner's feathers as he came to perch on her shoulder.  
He saw no reason not to if this was going to take a while.

"What hostility? Didn't I already tell you earlier at the party I wasn't going to do anything to you?"

Sai was still as unconvinced as he watched Chino speak more to the hawk on her shoulder than to him.  
"The way you phrased it at the party wasn't very reassuring. The statement seemed to hint that you would find a way around those orders."  
Naruto and Sakura started worrying about the possible truth to that statement. Neither ninja was looking forward to the possibility of yet another replacement teammate.

"Finding loopholes in orders happens to be kind of a specialty of mine so I can't really say you're wrong there" Chino responded with an impish smirk.  
"But I don't think I did anything to make you suspect me just yet" she continued.  
"Then what do you call that attack with the chopstick?" Sai accused cautiously the bird handler.  
"Attack? Oh, please, that was a _demonstration_. If it was really an attack I wouldn't have warned you to duck."

"I'll bear that in mind" Sai managed to say.  
By this time he had inconspicuously moved behind Naruto, effectively creating him into a human shield, just in case. If Sai retained anything from his ROOT training it was this, suspect ALL unknown persons.

"Well now that we have that settled, why don't we just keeping heading home? People are starting to stare" Sakura interjected.  
"Home? I thought we were going to go get dinner" Naruto exclaimed.

"DINNER?" Chino and Sakura practically yelled in unison.

"Naruto we just ate at the Hyuga's. Don't tell me you're _still_ hungry" Chino said incredulously.  
"That's Naruto for you. His stomach is a bottomless pit. You'll get used to it Kusannagi-san. Just never tell him you'll treat him to a meal because you'll go broke" Sakura informed her new friend.

"Is it actually nearing dinner time?" Sai asked.  
"Not exactly Sai-kun. Did you have somewhere to go?" Sakura inquired politely.  
"There was something Kakashi-san had asked me to" the boy responded.  
" _Don't_ worry about Kakashi sensei. He's always late" Naruto added.  
"Just the same I should be going." As soon as Sai completed his sentence he was gone, having used a transportation jutsu for a quick escape.

"So about dinner …" Naruto started.  
"You're on your own" Sakura interrupted.  
"Yeah. I'm not that hungry just yet" Chino added. "What about you Taka?"

The hawk shook his head and added something verbally which Chino translated. Naruto pouted but seeing as he was out numbered 2 and a half to one [he only counted Taka as a half since he couldn't think of a place that would let an animal in] he gave up bothering the girls any further. That didn't stop from him going on his own for ramen as the others went home. As soon as Chino got home she wrote up her regular report for Taka to send back home to the ninja princess.

' _Keeping connections should keep her from worrying_ ' Chino mused as her partner left to hand off the report to another messenger bird that would bring the report the rest of the way.  
"Such a pain, but if it keeps her happy and tantrum free ….." Chino said out loud to the empty room.  
"Oh well, nap time!" she called out as Chino headed to her bedroom.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in Konoha, Shino and Kiba were headed for the Team 8 training ground.  
"What's bothering you Shino?" Kiba questioned.  
" _Nothing_ is bothering me, I am merely thinking" Shino spoke quietly.  
"Don't give me that. I've been on a team with you long enough to know this is more than thinking."

Shino took his time before answering his teammate. Kiba for his part was more patient then one would expect from the wild Inuzuka teen. Over time Kiba had gotten used to waiting for Shino since it was the best way to handle the situation.  
"I'm not sure what to think of Kusannagi-san" Shino said hesitantly.  
"What's there to think about? She's obviously an annoying lunatic" Kiba nearly shouted.  
"She _only_ seems to target you. No one else seems to find her annoying. She stood up for Hinata, she tolerates Ino's babbling, she was willing to train Naruto, and she …. She notices me. Other girls usually do their best to avoid me once they know I'm an Aburame. The bugs _don't_ seem to bother _her_."

Kiba huffed while Akamaru waited for his partner to speak.  
"Big deal. Hinata doesn't care about them either. I'm pretty sure that Neji is pissed at her too. _And what about Sai_? She seems determined to hospitalize him permanently" Kiba seethed angrily.

"That's not entirely her fault. No effort was taken to hide the fact that she was raised to despise ROOT members. It is not easy to go against something like that. Besides, Sai is an exception. We can't trust ROOT and we don't know enough about Sai to be sure we can even trust _him_ " Shino responded calmly.  
"Whatever man. If those two haven't kicked him out of Team 7 by now, that's a good enough reason for me to trust him."

Kiba began to walk away after having said this, with Akamaru following close behind. Shino wasn't following.  
"Regardless, we should try to get to know her better if she will be working with us to protect the Village."  
Kiba was not amused by his friend's words.  
"Count me out. I'm not giving her extra time to piss me off. You want to know her better, go do it yourself."  
Then he continued to storm off. He no longer cared if the bug handler followed him or not.

"I plan to," Shino declared to Kiba's retreating back.

Then only to himself he added, ' _She is stronger than the kunoichi here. Her culture is different. Her ways and her personality are …. intriguing. I must know more about her._ But why? _Why am I compelled to learn everything I can about her? Except for my own team, I have never felt such a strong desire to spend more time with someone before. Yet the better question may be how do I get closer to her? I have to come up with a good reason. Perhaps Kurenai sensei may have some ideas_.'

In yet another part of Konoha, another group of people who had left the party were having arguments of their own. Team 10 had also gotten into a debate over what to do after the party. Like Naruto, Chouji was still hungry and wanted to go for barbeque. Shikamaru was more interested in taking another nap. Ino babbled on about her dieting and how Chouji should consider waiting until later to eat some more. Similar to Team 8, there had been a short dispute over the newcomer kunoichi's motives and personality. Chouji's continued whining about food had cut that dispute short. In the end, Shikamaru managed to slip away, Ino was called to her family's flower shop, and Chouji decided to go home. He was hoping his mother had started cooking dinner already.

**Plan 2:** _New challenges_

Team Gai was facing different issues entirely. Tenten was doing her best to avoid Lee who was currently fixated on finding a way to challenge Chino to a sparring match. However, he was torn over the possibility of beating on a girl, and not just any girl, but a kunoichi from an allied Village. He wasn't sure if fighting her would in some way harm relations with the other Village. This kunoichi seemed to be from an influential family of this other village, or connected to one at the very least. Even more troubling to Lee was the fact that he may actually lose to this opponent. Not sure what to do, Lee started training to take his mind off the problem for a while. Sometimes his best ideas came to him while training so it was worth a try. While he was training Gai sensei came to check on Lee's progress.

"What's the matter Lee? You don't seem like your normal self."

"Gai sensei, I am struggling with a difficult situation and I thought training would help. If it seems like something is different about me today, it is because I can't make up my mind over what to do. OH Gai sensei what should I do?"

Gai smiled and became very enthusiastic.  
"Don't worry my young student. Gai sensei is here to help with whatever the problem is. Just tell me what's the matter and we'll figure it out. No matter what we can use the full power of youth to overcome all obstacles!"  
The last sentence was backed up by a classic Gai sensei pose complete with a thumbs up in Lee's direction.

"It is about the new ANBU kunoichi that was sent here to aid the Village."

Gai stood there shocked. In his thoughts he was jumping to his own conclusions.  
' _Could it be that my dear Lee is in love and wants to pursue a youthful relationship with this new kunoichi. He's finally becoming a real man. Way to go Lee_.'  
[During this time Gai's manly tears of joy had started to well up in his eyes.]

"Are you interested in this new kunoichi my dear boy?" Gai asked with a smile.  
Lee wasn't getting the hint that his sensei was suggesting that he was interested in her as a potential girlfriend.  
"How did you guess I was interested in a match with her? You are truly a genius Gai sensei."

"Yes a match of course!" Gai shouted happily.  
"So what's the problem? Need some advice on how to ask her?"

Lee nodded his head vigorously.  
"I'm so glad you understand Gai sensei. I was afraid you would not approve of me wanting to request a fight with a _girl_. She seems like a truly challenging opponent as she survived a match with Naruto when he was using the power of the demon fox inside of him."

Gai was again shocked. He had misinterpreted the situation entirely. ' _A challenge Lee_ ' Gai thought hopelessly, ' _Is that really all you can think about? When will you see that there's more to life than training and challenges_?'  
Gai walked over to Lee and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Now Lee, are you sure you want to challenge this kunoichi? Even if she is strong you _can't_ go all out in a fight with a female. It wouldn't be right to severely injure her."

Tenten, who until this time had been trying to avoid the green spandex wearing shinobi, had become interested in the conversation.  
"Even if he plans on fighting a girl what's the big deal? If you treat her like a fellow _shinobi_ instead of just a _female_ than there won't be a problem. Kunoichi's can be strong too you know. Just look at Tsunade-sama and the Mizukage."

Gai wasn't sure what to say that. Tenten had a point, but not all kunoichi's are strong. He wanted to support Lee, so he decided he would just have to interrupt the match if he felt the girl couldn't handle it.

"AlrightLee!" Gai shouted.  
"If you plan on issuing a challenge let us go now with all the power of youth to find this kunoichi and get things started."  
Once again the statement had been emphasized with a thumbs up and a pose that Tenten found embarrassing.

"Yes Gai sensei! I will go now and issue my challenge!"  
Before Tenten could ask them how they would go about finding Kusannagi-san, Lee and Gai were off in a giant cloud of dust.  
' _I should probably just wait here. They will most likely come back to the training grounds anyway_.'

As Tenten was thinking this, Kakashi appeared seemingly out of nowhere.  
"Lee decided to challenge her I take it?"  
Tenten jumped at the sound of the older man's voice. She hadn't even sensed him approach.  
"Did I scare you? My apologies. It wasn't my intention, really."  
Tenten shook her head as she composed herself. "No, no, it's alright. You don't have to apologize. They were off to find Kusannagi-san but how did _you_ know that?" Tenten questioned curiously.  
"Just a feeling I guess. Lee's so much like Gai that it was bound to happen. Gai would have done the same thing when he was that age. Are you waiting for them to return?"

For a few seconds Tenten considered whether or not she should bother to wait for them. Once her sensei and teammate started something like this they tended to forget about her. That would mean she could have the rest of the day off to do whatever she wanted. As tempting as that idea might be, Tenten decided she would rather watch the match between this newcomer and her embarrassing teammate. This counted double if Lee should happen to lose. She was also hoping that she could see Kusannagi-san's custom weapons that they talked about at the party in action. There were those reasons, and not that she would admit to anyone but, Tenten also wanted to see what kind of competition she had in regards to Neji's affection. So far Neji hadn't shown any interest in any kunoichi yet, but she wanted to be ready when he did.

"Yes I was going to wait here. This seems like the most likely place for them to return to."  
Kakashi flashed the young kunoichi a smile and after a short pause responded with "Mind if I wait her with you?"  
Tenten wasn't expecting that kind of an answer and her face clearly showed her confusion. "No not at all. Do whatever you would like. ….. Can I ask _why_?"

Again Kakashi smiled from behind his mask.  
"To watch the fight of course. By now you have probably heard something about the little ' _training accident'_ with Naruto."  
Tenten shook her head affirmatively before Kakashi continued.  
"Well since then the Hokage has decided that any of our new friend's matches be monitored to avoid a repeat incident. She anticipated Lee might be the next to try to have one."  
Tenten was still confused.  
"Isn't that something that Yamato-san should be doing instead?"

"Yamato has to keep track of Naruto's training. He doesn't have the time to be watching someone else too. Besides, she uses wind and _fire_ natured chakra which would put Yamato at a disadvantage with his _wood_ element jutsu."

Tenten laughed nervously. "Yeah, good point."  
After that, Kakashi found himself a comfortable place to sit and took out his copy of _Make-out Tactics_ , which caused Tenten to blush and move away. The weapon specialist still couldn't believe he would read something like that in public so blatantly. Now the only thing left to do was to wait amidst an awkward silence.

Meanwhile, an equally awkward situation was just beginning as Gai and Lee found Chino to issue the challenge. Lee was still unsure of how to approach the young woman so Gai sensei decided to be the first to act and thus help his young student.

"We finally found you!"

At first Chino was too busy coughing on the dust kicked up by the two overzealous shinobi to answer the pair as they skidded to stop just past where she was standing. Other people in the area were also coughing but some of the shinobi who were nearby (and were used to Gai and Lee doing things like this) had the good sense to cover their faces or get out of the way.

"You were looking for _me_? Do I know you? Wait a minute …. You look like an older version of Lee-san. You wouldn't happen to be his _father_ by any chance would you?"

Gai started to choke up at hearing her mistake him for Lee's father.  
"If only it were true. As much as Lee is like a son to me I must admit I am only his beloved Gai sensei!"  
Chino stare dumbfounded as she couldn't get over how similar Gai and Lee were.  
' _Beloved? What an odd choice of words, especially for this Village. The other gave me the impression that there weren't many men who went that way here_ ' Chino thought, still clearly puzzled.

"Why were you looking for me? Did the Hokage send you for me?"  
Gai immediately shouted "No she did not. I am here with my dear student Lee to support him on this great day."  
Gai's enthusiasm was so staggering Chino hadn't realized Lee was standing behind the older shinobi. Gai stood aside so Chino could be looking at Lee while he made his proclamation.

"Lee has come here with a proposition for you and I know you two will make a good match with your youthful enthusiasm."

Chino noticed Gai's thumbs up pose and instantly realized why Tenten and Neji feel embarrassed over their team arrangements with a guy like that for a sensei. Chino drew in her breath and prepared to give her answer to the bold public declaration.

"All I got out of that declaration was ' _Lee, proposition you, good match,_ and _enthusiasm_.' Therefore I have this to say in response: unlike some other women from my village, I _DO NOT_ enjoy being propositioned by strangers. I don't understand why you think we'll be a good match when you hardly know _anything_ about me. If you did you wouldn't have tried this in public. I am also nowhere near as _enthusiastic_ about anything as your Lee-san and probably never will be. So whatever you were trying to do here my answer is, … I decline. Good day to you Lee-san's father, I mean sensei, or _whatever_ you are to him. Taka we're going now."

Both spandex wearing shinobi became depressed looking. Chino could have sworn she saw what looked like tears starting to form in the older man's eyes.  
' _Wow. That's kind of pathetic and_ definitely _embarrassing. A grown man,_ especially _a proud shinobi, should_ _not_ _be acting like that in front of this many people. I couldn't have been that harsh_.'  
Chino dismissed the whole incident and tried to pretend the green twins weren't there and the crowd wasn't just gawking at her and the fools. As the young ANBU was turning to walk away she heard Lee speak in a very quiet and disappointed voice.

"Am I not good enough a shinobi for you to accept my challenge? You sparred with Naruto. What is the difference between us that you would have a match with him and not me?"

Chino stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back toward Lee. Taka had stopped too and proceeded to land on his partner's shoulder. Both of them cocked their heads to the side and stared at Lee.  
"Wait, come again? You were asking for a _sparring match_? Why didn't you just come out and say that in the first place? You seriously need to work on your phrasing, both of you. I thought you were … angling for something else entirely."

Now Lee and Gai were confused. "What was it that you thought I wanted you to do with my dear student?"  
A light blush began to spread across the bird handler's face.

"Never mind, it's not important."

Then Lee's face started to brighten. "Now that we have cleared up any misunderstanding, does this mean you will reconsider my challenge?"  
Chino frowned at his persistent nature. "Not exactly my decision. After the little 'training accident' with the fox boy you'll need Tsunade-sama's permission. So it's not really up to me I'm afraid."

Gai sprang into action. He wanted to help his favorite student however possible.  
"Then I will go to the Hokage and get permission right away! Lee, go on ahead to our team's training grounds. I'll meet you there with the good news!"  
Gai was already long out of sight (and kicking up yet another unnecessarily large dust storm behind him) before Lee could get out "Yes Gai sensei!"

Before he could run away too, Chino insisted that they not hurry to the training area so they wouldn't be wasting energy before the match. Lee had agreed it was a wise decision and guided Chino to the location at a reasonable pace. When they arrived there, Tenten greeted them as Kakashi remained engrossed in his dirty book. Determined to get his attention, Chino walked right up to the Jonin and yelled "Kakashi-sempai" in a high pitched voice close to a bird's screech.

At the same time, Taka pecked at the inappropriate novel in an attempt to free it from the silver haired man's grasp. Not amused in the least, Kakashi reached out and grabbed the back of the hawk's thin chain of a collar right at the little metal plate bearing the Konoha symbol on the front. [The Kusannagi clan emblem was engraved on the underside] He then proceeded to lift the bird as if it was a bad puppy and tried in vain to place him on the ground and away from his prized possession. Naturally, this turned out to be more of a challenge than the Copy Nin had expected due to the fact that birds, unlike dogs, have wings which can flap around. Wings also have a longer reach than the paws of a dog given all the wind they push around.

"Why are you calling me Sempai? Didn't I tell you not to do that anymore after the last time we met?" Chino detected a hint of curiosity in his tone.  
"Cause you're a legendary former ANBU like me."  
Kakashi chuckled lightly before stating the obvious. "You're not a _former_ ANBU member yet, that I'm aware of. And you're not that legendary yet."

Now it was Chino's turn to laugh.  
"Quit teasing, I know you were aware I didn't mean that literally _word for word_. Now I might not be that legendary yet, but for some reason most of the people back home know who I am. If the princess of my Village had it her way I would be a former ANBU member. Then her three person cell would be a four person squad, permanently."

While this was going on Tenten had been questioning Lee.  
"Where's sensei? Did you challenge Kusannagi-san already? Was the Hokage told so she could approve?"

Lee answered quickly and excitedly.  
"Gai sensei has gone to ask the Hokage-sama for her permission and if she grants it then we can have our match today."  
Kakashi took the opportunity to enter the conversation.  
"Do you even know anything about her fighting style or background? Don't you think it would be better to train for the match rather than rush into it?"

Lee took all of about a moment to think and come up with a response.  
"Shinobi don't always have the ability to train for every fight against a new opponent so this should be a valuable experience for me. Plus Gai sensei believes in me so I feel I can use the power of youth to fare well in the fight."  
Before Kakashi could express his thoughts on the matter, he heard, more than saw, Gai's approach.

He covered the immediate area in dust and arrived out of breath.  
"I … have … received … her … permission" Gai managed to proclaim between gasps of air.  
"Woo hoo! _Alright Gai sensei_!" Lee shouted while jumping up high in the air.

During Lee's celebration Gai had noticed his rival's presence.  
"Why Kakashi, my esteemed and eternal rival, have you come to witness my Lee's performance?"  
Kakashi sighed as he tried to set Gai straight.  
"We're not rivals and no I didn't come here to see _Lee_. I'm actually here to observe _Kusannagi-san_."

Whatever Gai heard was nothing close to what the silver haired had Jonin had uttered. His entire attitude altered drastically as if Kakashi had insulted him.  
"So you're here to cheer _her_ on huh? Don't think my Lee can win? Then I guess we'll be letting our students represent us for our next challenge. Alright you're on! If Lee wins that will count as a win for me and if she wins then it will be a win for you."  
Kakashi was left wondering how Gai felt he could turn everything into a challenge he never issues.

Turning to Lee so he could address him directly, Gai continued his current stream of thought. "Do you hear that Lee? You'll be fighting for me and whoever wins will break the tie between Kakashi and myself."

" _I will do my best for you_! It will be a match you can be proud of."

Not understanding what was being talked about; Chino went over to ask Tenten to explain what the challenges between Gai and Kakashi were. At the same time, the Copy Nin was trying to make the Green Beast of Konoha realize that the kunoichi was not his student in any conceivable way. Neither teacher nor student was paying any attention and Lee started asking for advice on how to win the match. He wanted to make sure he could uphold his sensei's honor.

"Uhh … When did this become a battle of honor? Kakashi-sempai, do I really have to take this seriously?"  
Kakashi considered the best way to explain the situation.  
"If he takes this seriously, which there's a good chance he will, then you should. At least you should take it seriously enough to avoid heavy injuries for either of you. Lee here happens to be the best Taijutsu only specialist of any of our Village's young shinobi."

Chino looked slightly puzzled.  
"Taijutsu only?" she questioned to make sure she heard the facts correctly.  
Instead of the former ANBU, Gai was the one to answer the question.  
"That's right. Lee always uses Taijutsu _only_!"  
Still confused, she continued on. " _Why_?"

Eager to praise Lee for overcoming difficulties Gai answered honestly.  
"Because he can't use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu this leaves him to focus completely on becoming the _best_ Taijutsu fighter possible."

The Kusannagi clan member was stunned. Such a thing was totally unheard of in the Amazon Village because not a single person was ever allowed past Genin level without being able to perform a single ninjutsu (if they were even _allowed_ to graduate from the Academy at all).

"That doesn't seem like something to be so proud of. How did you ever make it to _Chunin_ level without the use of anything but Taijutsu. If nothing else, that's got to be a safety concern. I've never heard of a ninja that _can't_ use ninjutsu. No _Genjutsu_ I can believe but no ninjutsu, seriously? Not to be rude but are you in some way disabled? This sounds like it may be a medical condition or something."

Lee looked right at Chino and stated without being offended and in all seriousness  
"That I don't know. What I do know is I can only use Taijutsu. If it wasn't for Gai sensei's belief in me and my training I would not be the ninja I am today."  
Both teacher and student became all emotional and Chino, as well as Tenten, tried to look away from the tearful " _Oh Lee_ " and " _Oh Gai sensei_ " that was coming from their direction.

"Are you two going to cry all day or are you going to watch Lee fight?" Tenten demanded when she had enough public embarrassment for one day.  
"Certainly. We should stop the delays and begin right away!" Lee shouted enthusiastically.

"Fine by me" Chino concurred.  
"But first I think I should tell you a little about my abilities since your sensei gave away yours. It _is_ only fair after all. Since this is a friendly sparring match and all."

Lee nodded in agreement.  
"I'm mainly a Taijutsu fighter like the majority of the shinobi from my Village. Only difference is I specialize in chakra flow techniques. I do this with mainly wind natured chakra and to a lesser degree, fire natured chakra. I have a kekkei genkai that allows me to collaborate with Taka in a similar manner to how the Inuzuka does with Akamaru. If you feel outnumbered I'll have Taka sit this one out. Also, since I am part of the ANBU division of the Village of Amazons, I have had extensive weapons training and have primarily two custom weapons that I often use in battle. If you can't fight with a weapon then I won't use them."

Hearing this description, Gai began to feel worried for his favorite student.

"Gai sensei has trained me in how to use both tonfa and nunchuks. Use of weapons will not be a problem as long as my teammate will let me borrow some as I have brought none with me. As to fighting with your hawk partner I have no objections. My only request is that I be allowed to fight you under the same terms as was used in your match with Naruto."

Chino was beginning to feel sorry for the boy. Unless he had some impressive tricks up his sleeve he would most definitely be at a clear disadvantage. Because of these conclusions, the young warrior asserted the point that her sparring partner acquire strong, durable, metallic weapons before he could hope to have the same parameters as her match with the fox boy. Begrudgingly, Tenten had taken out her weapons scroll to locate the weapons her teammate had requested.

Gai then gave approval for Lee to take off his leg weights and to open no more than three gates if necessary. Lee in turn was both ecstatic and surprised at the same time.  
Chino looked over at her soon to be opponent strangely.  
' _He can open more than 3 of the chakra limiting gates? This has got to be some kind of a trick to make me nervous. Well if it is true I'll find out soon enough and I'll just have to beat him before that happens_.'


	14. Plans In Motion: Part 2 – Lee's Plan Continues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the continuation of Lee vs. Chino. The match ends in the next chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some weapon details are based off information in an episode of Fight Science that featured Asian flexible weapons [nunchuks, chain whip, linked staff etc].

 

Elsewhere in Konoha, word of Lee's challenge had begun to spread among the older shinobi. Kotetsu and Izumo had witnessed Gai's mad dash into the Hokage's office as they were delivering paperwork. Actually they were almost run over as Gai charged through them and they overheard his demand as they were gathering the papers that were now strewn across the hallway. On their way to gate duty, Kotetsu and Izumo had passed Genma and they told the senbon user what they saw and heard.  
Naturally, Genma felt the urge to share the news with other Jonin and went to find out who was in the rest area instead of running his errands. Among those Jonin present for Genma's so-called 'important announcement' was Asuma. After hearing the news, Asuma used the excuse of having to meet with Kurenai somewhere in order to get away from the others. After some whistling and comments from his comrades Asuma was able to escape.

In truth he did want to meet with Kurenai, but he was more interested in seeing if the Chunin exam proctor was just spreading rumors again. Luckily for him, he had the good fortune to do both as Kurenai found him on his way to Team Gai's training area. Both senseis agreed to continue with Asuma's original plan and went to see if the match had started yet. As it turns out they arrived just in time to see Kakashi make the final announcement of the rules and officially start the match.  
Since Kurenai and Asuma were familiar with Lee's fighting style there was only need to inquire about his opponent's abilities. Gai was too involved in watching Lee to answer and Kakashi made no attempt to respond, leaving Tenten to recap what she knew for the two Jonin.

"Sounds interesting" Asuma thought out loud as he focused his attention on the two combatants.

Lee started the fight with a series of punches which he was surprised to find his opponent mostly blocking rather than dodging. More surprisingly to him was none of his attacks seemed to do much damage. With his Sharingan eye fixed on the fight, Kakashi noticed the girl's arms were encased in chakra, slowing and deflecting some of the force of Lee's strikes. So far she hadn't launched any counter strikes of her own and he was beginning to wonder if her fighting style focused on defense. Not only was she not attacking, but her hawk had mostly been circling the fighters rather than participating.  
' _What are they up to_?' Kakashi wondered just as he noticed a change in the flow of the wind chakra around her arms.

Chino was ready to switch from defense to offense. She aimed a punch right at the left side of Lee's head. He managed to dodge it but somehow he still managed to have a cut across his face. Startled at the sight of his own blood, Lee quickly jumped back out of Chino's reach; not that it stopped the kunoichi from closing the gap and lashing out at Lee. Again, even though Lee guarded and deflected the strikes but he still found cuts on both his arms.

"I don't understand this!" Lee claimed as he examined his wounds.  
Gai started yelling from the sidelines, mostly about how he was worried for Lee and not to stop watching his opponent.

"What's the matter? Don't like my Vortex Punch technique?"  
Chino teased with a smirk on her face.  
"How did you perform jutsu _without_ any hand signs?"  
Chino continued to smirk at Lee's astonishment.  
"You haven't fought very many chakra flow fighters before have you? Silly boy, shinobi with chakra flow techniques don't need to use hand signs. We only have to manipulate the flow of our chakra."

Now Lee was beginning to worry.  
' _How do I fight someone if I can't get close to them_?' he wondered.  
Gai kept shouting advice from the sidelines and something Gai said made sense.  
' _If I can move fast enough to attack and then move away before she can counter I should be fine_.'  
As soon as this thought came into his head Lee tried to put his plan into action. Wanting to keep his distance, Lee tried to attack using kicks instead of punches. Very soon Lee realized this vortex technique could be applied to kicks as well as small cuts began showing up on his legs near where his opponent's kicks had landed.

"You should consider changing tactics. Otherwise you'll be full of cuts and that jumpsuit of yours will be in tatters and start falling off piece by piece. I'm pretty sure no onewants to see _that_ " Chino taunted playfully.

Since he only uses taijutsu there weren't many options for a change of tactics. Chino wasn't about to wait for Lee to make a decision. She pulled out a scroll from behind her back. Tenten focused her attention on the scroll while Gai shouted something about it "being suspicious" and how Lee should "keep his guard up". The scroll wasn't very large, but it didn't carry much so its size wasn't important. Everyone watched as the kunoichi spread some of her blood across the scroll from a small incision she had cut with her wind chakra. From out of the scroll came a staff that was longer than the girl was tall.

As a precaution Tenten threw Lee the metal tonfa he had picked out earlier when it was recommended he have weapons. Since Lee wasn't paying attention the weapon fell at his feet but he soon realized what was happening and picked up the tonfa.  
"You going to attack first or should I?" Chino called to Lee. Lee took the initiative to attack first while Gai cheered him on. During this point in the fight Asuma decided to ask Kakashi what he had been meaning to since he arrived.

"You've watched this one fight before, right Kakashi? How much of a chance does Lee have of winning this match?" Smoke trailed out from his cigarette as Asuma waited for Kakashi to answer.  
"Well, I would say he has a good chance if he takes off the weights, _probably_."  
Asuma was thrown off a little by Kakashi's statement.  
" _Probably_? You usually have a more direct answer than that" Kurenai pointed out.  
"Didn't you watch her with your Sharingan the last time?" Asuma continued.  
"Not exactly."

A disgusted look came across Kurenai's face as she said "You were too busy reading your look to watch, weren't you."  
Unabashed Kakashi smirked at the pair of Jonin.  
"You got me. There's nothing I can do about that now."  
Then Asuma stated in a very matter of fact manner, "And now you have been ordered to watch _her_ instead of _your book_."  
Kakashi just shrugged noncommittally while Kurenai rolled her eyes.

Meanwhile, during the fighting that took place while those three were distracted, Chino had knocked one of the tonfa out of Lee's hand and sent it flying way out of the way. The other had been cut in half by her wind chakra which Lee was yet again surprised by. There was a technique Asuma would have been interested in had he been watching. Chino had surrounded the end of her staff with wind chakra and then formed something like a blade before swinging out in front of her, thus extending the reach of her weapon. Using this Gale Blade Extension chakra flow technique was how Chino caught Lee off guard, which forced him to block the attack, only to watch his weapon break. After all that some of the blow still reached him.

Now unarmed Lee had called out to Tenten for the nunchuks she had taken out earlier. Since these particular nunchuks had an extra-long chain Lee thought this would help make up for the space between the girl and the end of her weapon. A change in weapon apparently was not enough as his opponent's weapon was still long enough to block the nunchuks. All of a sudden Lee noticed a distinct difference in the staff itself. Tenten looked on happily as the last third of the staff detached from the main shaft and began rotating at the end of a length of chain. She had not seen a weapon quite like this one before (as described to her by Chino at the party) and Tenten would be sure to ask about how she could go about getting one for herself.

Lee took defensive actions expecting the top third of the weapon to extend on another stretch of chain like he had seen on other weapons. Since Lee was not used to wielding weapons it wasn't much of a shock that all of his attacks with the nunchuks weren't doing much good. The staff naturally created sweeping currents of air as it was spun around. This activity lent itself well to a wind natured chakra user as the effect was augmented by the chakra flow. To add to the situation, the girl seemed to have total and complete control of the spinning extension of the staff.  
This confused Lee since both Gai sensei and Tenten had drilled into him that there would be an instant when the user will lose control of their weapon as it ricochets off whatever it hits. That instant of the loss of control was the weak point of using a flexible weapon like a nunchuks or linked staff. Lee knew he should be able to take advantage of that instant. As in all training Lee went through, he had studied Tenten's usage of flexible weapons until he could see or anticipate that instant of the lack of control and never before had his training failed him.

Chino knew right away what the alteration of expression on her target's face from one of intense concentration to utter astonishment and confusion meant.  
"I have a good idea what you're thinking and it's not gonna happen. Stop trying 'cause now it's gonna cost you."

With this said, Chino's weapon wrapped around Lee's, trapping his hand against the nunchuks. She then proceeded to pull him toward her straight into a hard left hook. While Lee was sailing backward from the sheer force of the blow Chino released her hold on the weapon just enough to free his arm so he could go flying into the ground a good distance away. Once his body had cleared the weapon, Chino whipped the chain around and flung Lee's nunchuks off into the surrounding woods. Half-stunned, Lee stood while the kunoichi explained why he earned the chance to eat dirt.

"For future reference, one of my sensei's forced me to train extensively so I can use my chakra to manipulate the natural, small air currents created by my weapon until I could eliminate that instant of a loss of control you were looking for, … _on instinct_."

By this point Gai sensei did not like that his poor, sweet, favorite [and might as well be only] student was getting knocked around so easily by this stranger. Fellow Konoha shinobi or not, kunoichi or not, this had to change. Lee had to get more serious.  
"Lee! Now would be a good time to take off your weights" Gai sensei cried from the sidelines.  
"Yeah you idiot! Now that you're unarmed you are going to get really hurt if you can't dodge her weapon" Tenten added passionately.  
Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi just waited for the fight to get more interesting.

Rather than attack the boy like she would have done if this had been a real battle, Chino waited while he took the weights off his legs. She heard from Naruto that 'Bushy Brows' was very fast.  
' _We'll see if this boy is really as quick as Naruto's bragging. Get ready Taka. I might need to link with you to track his movements 'kay_ ' Chino communicated to her partner.

Even though she wasn't looking in his direction, Kakashi had detected the use of her kekkei genkai with his Sharingan. During the last time she fought Kakashi had actually looked up from his book long enough to see one or two combination jutsus from the pair and he was anticipating the chance to see those combos again along with some new ones. He then shared this information with his fellow Jonin. Unfortunately, Gai was yet again too absorbed in watching Lee to hear Kakashi's head's up declaration. With his weights free from his legs, Lee was off like a rocket and running circles around Chino. He was faster than she would have liked but Chino had the chance of somewhat matching his speed. The only question now was how much Lee was holding back, if at all.

From a young age Chino had heard her princess complain to senseis about how she was built to fight, not to run every time they were asked to sprint, jog, run, or anything resembling running during their training. It was then that she decided that in the unlikely event she had incurred Raiku's wrath bad enough for her to want to cause Chino serious bodily injury [or kill her], she would have to able to run really fast. Or at least she had to be fast enough to run right to the furthest boundary of the five Great Nations before anyone could catch her. This idea came from an announcement Raiku had made about how she wouldn't leave the territory of the five Great Nations for any reason unless it was to stop an invasion.  
To prepare for such an unlikely incident, Chino had found someone to help her focus her wind natured chakra flow in order to aid her in accelerating to high speeds. Even if she couldn't beat Lee in a foot race, using her kekkei genkai, she would be able to focus enough with Taka's help to see Lee's attacks. Now she could only hope that she could react fast enough with small controlled bursts of high speeds to dodge them if not stop them.

Before Lee could attack, Chino charged ahead to blast through Lee's circle. The two shinobi collided into each other causing Lee to trip over Chino's staff which she took with her. Taking advantage of the confusion, the young ANBU activated her ability and cemented the link between herself and Taka shouting "Animal Affinity: Synchronicity" and weaving the proper signs for the jutsu. All of the shinobi, except for Kakashi, stared at the kunoichi's face, being it was the first time they had seen her with a hawk's eye. Taka soared up over the battlefield to survey the fight from above. Chino now had two unique perspectives of this battle to work with on a developing a plan for her defense.

When Lee resumed his attacks Chino used her wind chakra to help her dodge but she was barely keeping up with him. For a brief instance the kunoichi lost sight of her target entirely and Lee was able to take advantage of this opportunity to strike with his Leaf Whirlwind technique. This rear spinning low kick sent Chino high into the air and throwing her completely off balance. Following this successful attack, Lee went straight into his Dancing Leaf Shadow in preparation for the Primary Lotus. Through Taka's eyes, Chino was able to see what Lee was trying to do just as his wrappings started to wind around her body. Naruto had warned her about this technique and Chino had to think fast in order to find a way to escape in time.

Without the use of her hands the kunoichi would be doomed. The ANBU fighter quickly sent wind chakra to her fingers so she could cut herself free from the wrappings. As Lee started to rotate his body for the spiraling pile drive downward, Chino was able to cut enough of the fabric to free her hands and make the proper hand signs. "Radiating Winds Jutsu" the bird handler cried as winds spiraled out from around her cutting the rest of the material binding her. Although she was free, both shinobi were still headed for the earth below. A few twists in the air and Lee was safely on the ground and waiting to continue on the attack. Chino wasn't completely able to recover in time to stop herself from colliding with the terrain. Lee moved in while the young woman was rising to her feet with the aid of her staff.

Before Lee could close the gap to connect with his Severe Leaf Hurricane combination attack, Taka appeared blocking the way to his partner. The hawk screeched and pulled back his wings only to thrust them forward, generating a forceful wind strong enough to stop Lee in his tracks and lose his footing. The male shinobi started skidding across the ground and blocking his face from the debris being kicked up.

"It seems the bird can use jutsu too" Asuma mused then taking a long drag from his cigarette.  
"Could you * _cough_ * please * _cough_ * not do * _cough_ * that * _cough_ * Tenten complained as she gasped for air after Asuma accidently exhaled the smoke practically in her face.  
Apparently he was too focused on the fight and forgot she was there causing him to make a hasty apology.

"For all I can tell, her animal partner only uses jutsu when linked with her through the kekkei genkai" Kakashi answered Asuma during his apology to Tenten.  
"That sounds a lot like Kiba and Akamaru's situation with their Beast Mimicry technique, only she doesn't resemble that hawk except in the eyes" Kurenai commented.  
"That's because the technique is still unfinished" Kakashi interjected, "I noticed that during her fight with Naruto. If the fight continues long enough you'll probably see what I mean."  
Back on the battlefield Chino was preparing to prove Kakashi right without realizing it.

"Taka keep using Driving Winds a little longer. I just need a little more time."  
The hawk called out in response to his partner's request. All of the onlookers watched in curiosity as the kunoichi planted her staff firmly in the ground to free her hands. Next, she closed her eyes and took what looked like an almost meditative stance to the gawking sideliners. Forming a seal over her heart and after a short pause Chino's eyes sprung open wide. For an instant both of her eyes resembled those of a hawk but just as quickly her left eye returned to normal.

"Wait wasn't her _left eye_ the hawk's eye before?" Gai shouted in surprise.  
"Gai calm down. The jutsu transferred from one eye to the other" Kakashi commented.  
"Yeah sensei that's nothing to get excited about" Tenten scolded her teacher.  
Ignoring Tenten, Gai rushed over and took Kakashi firmly by the shoulders and turned him so he was looking at his spandex wearing rival.  
"But what does it mean? Will Lee be alright?"

Kakashi calmly responded "It means it's starting. If you don't turn around you'll miss it."  
Frantically Gai released Kakashi and whirled around almost knocking Kurenai off the rock she was sitting on. Pissed off, the female sensei took a swing at Gai's head but he didn't react. This of course made her angrier as Asuma had to restrain Kurenai from pulling out a kunai.

During the commotion Lee had started to regain his footing so Taka had to switch tactics to what Chino later told them was a variant of Aerial Dive. Meanwhile Chino's body had started to transform. Her fingernails and toenails became like a hawk's talons and an additional sharp, spiked nail cut through the back of her footgear at the heel. Her hair resembled feathers and in her mouth the teeth looked sharper. In addition to all this her nose took on a more beak-like shape.

"Now's that more like what I expect from an animal handler. I wonder if the bird can take on a human-like shape like Akamaru does."  
Kakashi shook his head at Kurenai's thought. "Not that I've seen, but she led me to think not."

Examining the transformed body in front of him, "I wonder if that's the full extent of the transformation" Asuma thought out loud.  
A loud smack could be heard as Kurenai hit Asuma saying "I can't believe you said that out loud. How can I _trust_ you now?"

Chuckling, Kakashi spoke amusedly "If that wasn't enough to keep your mind from wandering listen to this: Naruto almost had his throat slashed with those talons when his staring went a little too south for her comfort."  
Asuma gulped hard and moved a little further from Kurenai just to be on the safe side. Gai continued to shout out advice and encouragement to Lee from his place on the sidelines not noticing the scene behind him.

"Uhh, Kakashi sensei?" Tenten mumbled trying to get the Jonin's attention, "Is it just me or is the hawk _bigger_?"

Kakashi confirmed the weapon specialist's suspicions as a side effect of the jutsu before returning to watching the fight. Both kunoichi and hawk lashed out at Lee with their talons. Lee opened the second gate to counter the pair's combination jutsu that could utilize airborne and ground attacks in unison or succession. In response to Lee landing more punches and kicks as well as taijutsu techniques, Chino pulled off the bracers, guard skirt, and over shirt of her outfit. It became obvious rather quickly that Lee wasn't the only one who walked around in weighted clothing. However this was to a lesser extent than Lee as his leg weights were heavier. Asuma tried to dodge Kurenai's stare as he examined what was visible of the girl's tattoos on her neck and chest (of which only the very top was visible at the neckline of her shirt). Being only ¾'s length at the sleeves, the ends of more tattoos could be seen on the girl's arms and what could be a summoning tattoo on the inside of her left wrist.

After getting rid of the added weight, the kunoichi moved back toward her staff which had been left in the ground. With Taka running interference using his Wing Slice technique [Taka version of Vortex Punch/Kick] she was able to just barely get there before Lee. Chino used her retrieved staff to focus her chakra. Then she raised her Typhoon Shielding Wall jutsu, a dome like barrier of air with a similar look and function to Neji's Rotation ability. While under the dome of swirling hurricane force winds Chino entered a deeper form of the Animal Affinity: Synchronicity ability where her bone structure altered to be more hollow and light weight like a bird's. This made her body lighter and thus raised her speed and maneuverability. On the downside, it also drained more chakra and made her more vulnerable to certain taijutsu skills. Feeling fatigued, Chino took comfort in the knowledge that opening the gates must be making Lee weak as well.

Men in the Amazon Village were rarely this strong which made Chino impressed with how Lee was faring in the match so far. It wasn't long before Lee became tired and Chino too hadn't the strength to maintain more than the first level of her ability.

During this time of steady decline Shino arrived at the training grounds to talk to his sensei. He was surprised to find his teacher watching the very person he wanted to talk to her about fighting seriously with Lee. The kunoichi's altered appearance also was a bit of a shock. Well the tattoos were more of a shock actually. Since Kiba was on his team he had grown accustomed to people transforming into half animal beings. Except for a single ANBU tattoo on those to who it applied, Shino couldn't think of any kunoichi he knew who had un-job related tattoos. Out of his own age group the bug handler expected possibly Tenten would eventually. The only other kunoichi he could think of that might have tattoos was Anko Mitarashi, one of his proctors from the Chunin exams, he wasn't going to ask, let alone look himself.

Since the battle was wearing down Shino thought he might be able to have a word with her in private while the rest of the crowd's attention was still on the match. When he tried to get her attention Kurenai said " _Not now, busy_ " and everyone else shushed him. Knowing he would have to wait Shino instead found a place to sit.

As this was going on Lee had decided now might be the best time to resort to his elixir. He didn't know exactly what happened when he took it but he always seemed to be winning by the time it wore off.  
Just as Lee put the 'elixir' bottle to his lips, both Gai and Tenten shouted "NO Lee Don't!"  
Too late for him to stop, Lee downed the whole bottle in one gulp. Like a true lightweight he was out of it almost immediately slurring his words and babbling like an idiot.

Chino stared horror stricken.  
"Oh my kunai, is he drunk? Is this some kind of _joke_? This is how you take matches _seriously_ in this Village! What an Outrage!" Chino raged indignantly.

Public drunkenness was highly looked down on in the Amazon Village [which was partly the cause of Tsunade's short stops there]. Women were strongly advised against alcohol use of any kind as it dulled the senses and leaves you vulnerable. Drunken men were mostly overlooked as embarrassments while children pulled pranks on them after they passed out. Chino remembered helping dress them up like girls and covering them in feathers that her family's birds had molted before leaving the drunks in a fountain on the town square. Later in school their teachers would have pictures of the poor drunken fools to serve as reminders why it's important not to get drunk.  
In times of peace drunkenness equaled embarrassment but in war times those same drunks would have been killed easily by the enemy. Konoha may not have as strict guidelines about drinking [especially as long as Tsunade's Hokage] but Gai and Tenten were embarrassed over Lee's ridiculous display of drunken behavior none the less. Angered by Lee's unprofessional conduct Chino no longer wanted to finish the match if the fool continued to act like that.

"Sober up Damn you! I am NOT fighting a _drunkard_!" Chino shouted at her intoxicated opponent with Taka screeching annoyed.

Lee started to stagger around in circles talking to himself in such a way that his voice was barely audible and mostly unintelligible. Completely infuriated at how things were turning out Chino started pelting Lee with tiny rocks while yelling at him profusely. Since he was drunk the young man couldn't tell where exactly the barrage was coming from. Being ignored made the ANBU warrior even angrier. Larger and increasingly heavier rocks were found so Chino could launch them at her target using her wind chakra. Adding to this scene was the hawk circling above trying to get just the right angle to drop rocks on the boy's head.

"Idiot, loser, freak, chicken, useless male, failure as a shinobi!" the girl carried on.  
Each insult was getting louder and angrier with every volley of rocks. Somehow Lee managed to dodge them all and not slur his words long enough to ask why she was throwing rocks at him.

"How come the useless drunk was able to _dodge_?" Chino demanded of Gai.  
"Well you see … some time ago we discovered Lee was a master of the Drunken Fist style."


	15. Plans In Motion: Part 3 – Something Plan Related

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the conclusion of the Lee vs. Chino matchup.
> 
> Also included are the last 2 'plans'.   
> One is between Shizune and Chino.   
> The other is formulated by Tsunade.

 

'I _didn't believe such a style was real but I guess this idiot's proof enough_ ' Chino thought angrily.  
Now that Chino was no longer paying attention to him, a drunken Lee half charged, half stagger tripped toward the girl and hawk. Again the Amazon shinobi was astounded to find that he could not only dodge effectively but attack efficiently as well. Although she couldn't understand it, Chino did know she wanted the teen to snap out of it and quickly. Lee's wild movements, unorthodox fighting style, and quirky way of walking on his hands while attacking was becoming infuriating. All the drunken ramblings coming from the 'irritating freak' as the fighter was now referring to her fellow combatant, wasn't making the situation any better.

Then what really sent Chino over the edge was Lee passing out in front of her. Self-control long gone, the bird user tripped a mechanism in her staff to produce a spear tip out of the opposite end that the chain had emerged from earlier.

Without hesitating Chino thrust the spear tip down at Lee's unconscious form yelling " **Wake UP**!"

The initial attack missed, and then another, and another, and another as Lee managed to keep rolling over in his sleep. At one point he even caught the staff with his feet without rousing from sleep one little bit.  
"That's _enough_. You're finished you Bushy Browed Fool!" Chino raged in frustration and anger as Lee woke up to resume fighting.

The Amazon kunoichi pulled back and put on her ANBU rooster mask she usually wore on her most serious and dangerous missions. Instantly the girl's chakra altered slightly and in turn so did Chino's entire demeanor and fighting style.  
"This can't be good. Kusannagi-san's turned frightening" Tenten nearly whimpered behind a frozen, unresponsive sensei.  
"Should we stop the match? I think she wants to _kill_ him" Kurenai questioned Asuma and Kakashi.  
"We _can_ let them continue a little further _safely_ , I think" Asuma answered without the kind of conviction he wanted to have.

Even intoxication couldn't stop Lee from letting the fight get fierce as the match came down to sheer taijutsu skill. Within moments Lee was able to land a hard strike to his opponent's face causing the mask to start cracking. It was eerily strange to hear no sounds coming from the female ANBU as soon as the mask was on. Not even the blow to her face made Chino call out. She was too focused and the special Amazon Village ANBU training she went through made it virtually impossible anyway. However such a blow did not go unpunished. A hand made it past the spandex clad drunk's defense and grabbed hold of his throat.

Throwing her weight into the choking maneuver Chino was able to force her opponent to the ground and pinned him to a large rock. Head just visible over the top of the rock and quickly running out of air, Lee finally started to sober up in a hazy daze due to lack of oxygen. Firmly holding the struggling prey with her left hand made it possible for Chino to grasp her staff with her free hand. Taka panicked as he recognized the position her hand had moved to on the staff. Tenten registered the glint of metal peeking out from under the girl's hand and screamed due to a memory of what Chino had told her was the last [and yet unseen] special feature of her custom weapon. Before the attack could be completed Kakashi was between the two combatants, separating them.

"That's good enough for today. A draw seems in order. Wouldn't you agree?" Kakashi spoke with a smile that didn't match the situation.  
"A DRAW? What happened? I blacked out from my elixir and can't recall how this could be."  
Kakashi smirked at Lee's comments and Chino's mumbling of " _elixir my ass_ " under her breath.  
"Let's just say things got a little out of hand and one of you almost your head" was the Jonin's sly remark. One of the two fighters grasped the implication and blushed under her mask while the other was making excuses of why it couldn't have been him.

Gai rushed in, pushed Kakashi and Chino away, got pecked by Taka for touching his partner, and cried manly tears of joy as he hugged his precious favorite student.  
"Maybe it's for the best if we don't talk about this for a while" Asuma suggested.

"I was thinking the same thing. If anyone asks the match was a draw. No other details need to be shared just yet" Kakashi agreed. Then speaking directly to Chino he added "You should get your things together and go see Lady Tsunade. She'll want a report and to look you over. Tell her I'll be by with lee and Gai shortly."  
Chino nodded and did as she was told as Tenten yelled at her sensei and teammate to "break it up" because they were being shamefully embarrassing.

Kurenai looked at Shino and asked him what he wanted to talk about while Asuma waved goodbye so he could give her some privacy with her student. Unfortunately for Shino he was lost in his own thoughts, staring at Chino getting ready to leave. If he was curious before he was very interested now, so much so that he started to unconsciously make his way toward the young ANBU. With her gaze focused on her stoic student she had an idea of what he wanted but Kurenai couldn't figure out why Shino didn't just go ask his parents instead. She was pretty sure the whole 'birds and the bees' talk must count double for an Aburame, and then chuckled to herself at the nature of that statement and Shino's possible situation.

 **Plan 3:** _Covert Request_

Chino went straight to the Hokage's office as she was in enough pain to look forward to Lady Tsunade healing her like she used to in the past any time Chino got sucked into one of the Senju sister's brawls. There weren't many skilled medic nin in the Amazon Village which was a real disadvantage of living there [especially considering how often fights break out]. In turn, this earned Tsunade that much more respect in that Village every time she visited. Luckily for Chino, Tsunade was more interested in checking her injuries and the state of her chakra than asking about the fight. The Hokage knew Chino well enough to know it would be better to ask Kakashi to give her details whenever he arrived.

After being sure everything was normal Tsunade asked for a brief summary of what happened, made a mental note to drill it into Lee not to use his 'elixir' anymore [and confiscated any he had left], lectured Chino, made another mental note to find out what the girl wasn't telling her, and then sent Chino to help Shizune with the paperwork. Going to find Shizune, Chino wished Lee was competent enough to be left with filing duty. Then maybe he would be the one heading to the records room instead of her.

Barely in the door, Chino was bombarded with a stack of paperwork that seemed unnaturally high to her.

"Just exactly how backlogged with paperwork are you?"  
Shizune sighed heavily.  
"Far too behind to think about it. Lady Tsunade avoids paperwork like it was infested with the plague. Unless she's practically _swimming_ in it she acts like it doesn't exist. In the meantime more and more paperwork comes in between mission requests, mission reports, security logs, research data, intelligence information, and the list just goes on. There are at least two more rooms filled with unfiled paperwork and a closet dedicated _solely_ to Lady Tsunade's debt collection notices."

' _No wonder the assistant needs an assistant_ ' Chino thought in astonishment.  
"No offense but I've seen better _hoarder_ houses. You know if this was the Amazon Village and even half this one room was filled with backlogged paperwork they would be shot with arrows _repeatedly_ every day until the amount of paperwork reaches a 'manageable level', however that's decided."

"I know," Shizune replied flatly. "That's why Lady Tsunade would never take over at the Amazon Village. She would be the most likely person to be shot since there's a no exception policy for leaders. Come to think of it _maybe_ …."  
Shizune then fell into a daydream where Tsunade did her paperwork on time so there was never more than one large stack left unfiled. This was because of a row of Amazon archers at the ready outside the office window.

"Just exactly how much of this paperwork do we have to get through _today_?"  
Shizune paused and checked a list on her clipboard.  
"About a third of the room would be good."  
This caused Chino to bang her head on the wall lightly in denial of the amount of work. Shizune pulled Chino back telling her she wasn't allowed to cause a head injury to avoid work.

After a few moments Shizune was concerned to again hear a knocking sound and quickly looked for Chino.  
"Don't worry it's just the door. I'll get it."  
When Chino opened the door there was Kotetsu and Izumo with a large cart and several scrolls that looked like they were meant for transporting things.  
"Can I help you two?"

Kotetsu tried looking past the girl while asking  
"Where's Shizune?"  
In a very sarcastic tone Chino replied "Inside trying not to get crushed to death under an insurmountable mountain of paperwork. What do you need? If it's necessary I'll get her."  
Kotetsu ribbed Izumo to get him to speak up. "Uhm … Special delivery?"  
Chino glared angrily at the objects.  
"That better not be more _paperwork_ " she spoke through gritted teeth.  
Izumo laughed nervously leaving Kotetsu to answer her. "Yeah …. This a bad time?"

"And _where_ do you think you're going to put that stuff? We can't fit anymore papers in here without it _killing_ us. If you bring those evil things in here and I'm killed by paperwork, so help me I'll come back and haunt the two of you until you go horribly insane or the end of your lives. Whichever comes first."

Both Kotetsu and Izumo backed up from the menacing aura that was radiating from the young woman.  
"I think we'll go put this somewhere else, right Izumo?"  
"Right Kotetsu. We may have had the wrong room all along. Sorry to bother you. BYE!"  
Chino slammed the door behind them satisfied. Luckily, not too many papers fell down in the process.

"What was that all about?" Shizune questioned without looking up from the papers she was working with.  
"Nothing, wrong room, not important" Chino said dismissing the issue curtly.  
"Hey Shizune. You could use some more help around here right? You know with filing and missions and stuff, right?"  
Shizune wasn't sure where this was going.  
"Of course. That's why you were sent for in the first place."

"Well wouldn't it be easier with more help?"  
Still cautious, Shizune allowed this to continue. "Yes, but how do you expect that to happen?"  
Chino smiled. She was taking the bait and Chino felt sure Shizune wouldn't need much more coaxing to agree.

"What do you think of this: You need help with filing and management and stuff, Konoha needs more shinobi to finish missions, I don't like being one of a very few Amazon Village shinobi stationed here, and my birds don't like acting as daily personal carrier pigeons between Raiku-hime and myself. So I think we can help each other out."

Now Shizune was interested.  
" _How_?"

"It's easy enough to do. Just send for Team 17. _I_ won't be bored. _Raiku_ - _hime_ won't need regular reports. The _Senju_ _sisters_ can handle missions and _Miku_ will help you with the paperwork or at least get people who can. Then everybody will be happy. They're available and would come if asked. Raiku-hime's been looking for a reason but the council won't move unless they receive a formal request. If Lady Tsunade won't write one I'm sure they'll accept one from you on her behalf."  
This seemed too good to be true.  
"How do I know this will work? If Lady Tsunade finds out …."

"She won't" Chino interjected, cutting Shizune off.  
"She knows I send out a bird to the Amazon Village every day. To make things go faster they switch off at least two times. We send out _your_ letter with _mine_ and when it comes time for a switch there will be _two_ birds instead of one. My regular letter will go where it always does and yours will go with the second bird straight to the council. The tradeoff happens far from here so no one else will find out. Besides once Team 17 gets here Raiku-hime will make it seem like it was her idea and Lady Tsunade will probably believe it. So are you in or out?"

Hesitantly Shizune answered "IN. I'll have to let her get drunk so I can write the request without being caught. I can't believe I'm doing this. Just make sure you help me with paperwork again so I can slip you the request in secret."

Chino was ecstatic that everything was going so well. She started to say "No pr…"  
Just then the door swung open and there was Tsunade herself staring them down.  
" **Shizune** " the Hokage screamed as Chino finished her statement "… oblem".

Both shinobi went pale as Tsunade continued with "We have a problem. I need to speak to both of you in my office right now" before walking away.  
" _We're busted_ " said Chino.  
"We're doomed" said Shizune.  
Neither one of them wanted to leave the records room.

 **Plan 4:** _Debt Reduction_

"You're probably wondering why I needed both of you" Tsunade stated gravely.  
"We're sorry" Shizune blurted out.  
"Sorry for _what_?" Tsunade asked with a hint of confusion.  
"For any recent bad things we may have done" Chino offered vaguely.

"If you lost or burned some paperwork I don't care."  
Now Shizune was confused.  
" _Wait_ , you didn't hear what ….. **OW**!" Shizune yelled as Chino stomped on her foot.  
"The Hokage is speaking Shizune-san. It's rude to interrupt" Chino spoke quickly before Tsunade could find out what was really going on.

"I don't know what you're up to but listen up. Shizune **,** do you remember a man named Tousen from a small village built into a cliff in the Land of Earth?"

" _Yes_. You owe him a substantial amount of money because of your gambling debts. Why are you bringing this up now?"  
Tsunade's brow furrowed as she responded.  
"He wants his money. Now. We don't have the ability to pay right now so I need the Kusannagi to go convince him I'm dead and get the debt forgiven."

Chino gawked in amazement.  
"AGAIN! You gave me a similar assignment as a _Genin_. How is this going to work now when everyone knows you're the Hokage?"  
Tsunade smirked, all proud of herself.  
"I have come up with a solution to that already. You need to make him believe that I've been replaced with a _body double_ and Jiraiya is acting as Hokage in secret. Shizune get me that scroll over there please."

"And how would you like to **'** _die_ **'** my lady, since he's _bound_ to ask" Chino teased, wondering if she had a 'solution' to that one too.  
" _Very funny_. I don't care as long as it's reasonable, believable, and not embarrassing. You also can't use any excuse on this list."  
Chino opened the scroll Shizune had brought to Tsunade only a moment earlier and began reading the list of banned excuses.  
"Uhh, if I may ask, how did you come up with this list?"

Tsunade frowned and responded harshly  
"Some of those are actual ways I've heard of people dying. Some of them come straight out of mission reports I'll have you know. You have a problem with NOT using those ways?"

"Not exactly. Some of them are just …. _unusual_. I mean come on ' _By being turned into a puppet_ ' or …. I think I'm reading this right ….. ' _In_ _bed_ _with_ _Jiraiya_ - _sama_ ' really?"

Shizune tried to suppress her laughter while Tsunade blushed indignantly.  
Then she started shouting "I heard there was an _Akatsuki_ member who does things like that and that _pervert_ swears if we were ever to get together he'll make it feel so good I'll die and go to heaven, Alright?"  
Chino tried really hard not to giggle as she asked "Can I tell him you were eaten by Lady Katsuyu? That's not on the list."

"No you may not. Why would my _own_ summoning eat me? It's ridiculous and embarrassing. Not only that, but slugs don't eat _people_."  
Having shot down one suggestion Chino tried another.  
"How about if I say that Manda, _Orochimaru's_ summoning ate you? Snakes _can_ eat people and they both want you dead so it's _reasonable_ , _believable_ , and not _that_ embarrassing."

Tsunade wasn't happy in the least bit.  
"Definitely NOT. _Nothing_ is eating me, clear? Good. Then I expect you to leave within the hour. Use one of your larger summoning so you can fly there as quickly as possible. These are the coordinates of the village and Tousen's picture. You have four days. Dismissed."

"Before I go can I ask one last thing?" Chino requested respectfully.  
"This another suggestion for my death?"  
Chino hesitated briefly before saying "No, it's a _request_. This isn't exactly an … _honorable_ or ... _appropriate_ mission …. So can I make a condition?"  
Tsunade wanted this problem to go away ASAP so she was at least willing to hear this 'condition' of Chino's.  
"What do you want?"

"When the mission is over can I title the list and keep it? It's amusing."

"What's the title going to be?"  
Chino thought for a moment.  
"Not sure. Haven't made up my mind yet."  
Exasperated and desperate Tsunade caved. "Fine you can have it ONLY if the mission is successful AND you keep it away from Konoha shinobi, _especially_ Jiraiya."  
The Kusannagi girl replied happily "You got it!"

As Chino went to leave Shino was coming in.  
"Excuse me buggy boy. I'm in a hurry to leave on an _important mission_ to go convince some old gambler the Hokage can't pay her debt because she died from injuries she received when a carnivorous slug _Tried_ to eat her. BYE!"  
Shino was stunned by the absolute ridiculousness of the statement allowing Chino to slip by him.

"You CAN'T use that either!" Tsunade bellowed after the retreating ninja.  
"I picked the wrong person for this job didn't I? Don't answer that, it was a _rhetorical_ question."

When she had regained some of her composure Tsunade added "Did you need to see me about something Shino? Nothing is wrong I trust."  
Shino recovered at hearing his Hokage's question.  
"Actually I had wanted to say something to Kusannagi-san but she's leaving. When will she return?"

Tsunade stared down at her desk before turning to the window.  
"I gave her four days but knowing her she'll be back in three and hide out for a day. That way she can use 'being away on a mission' as an alibi for anything that she does that can get her in trouble during that time."

"I have four days" Shino thought out loud before exiting the office quietly and leaving Tsunade and Shizune to wonder why he would need someone he barely knows.


	16. Here Comes Trouble: Part 1 - Mission Report

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chino returns from her secret mission for Tsunade and reports on the successful results.
> 
> A sign of friendship from Shino to Chino changes the way they interact with each other.
> 
> Shizune hands over the letter asking for Team 17 to be sent to Konoha and Chino questions her decision to send it.

 

Like Tsunade had predicted, Chino had intended on coming back within the three days. A last minute addition on to her mission requirements saw to it that it wouldn't happen. Not only did Chino have to convince this Tousen of Tsunade's death [and cover up], but now she had to retrieve some document from a Konoha spy in the area. Problem was he was thought to have died protecting said document. Surprisingly Tousen accepted Chino's explanation of how Tsunade died without question. This man not only bought the story, he provided condolence gifts for the ANBU operative to take back to the elders. She even got a personal reward for delivering such sad news in person, which was the last thing Chino expected.

"If _only_ that was the end of the mission" Chino mumbled to Taka who wholeheartedly agreed. "Now we have to figure out how to find that guy and the document. Leave it to a guy to make things difficult."

By spending an entire day investigating and interviewing people and birds, Chino was able to find where the spy had been buried and where the document was hidden. Through the birds she found out she wasn't the only one looking for the document so it was best to leave as quickly as possible. Taking the advice of her new feathered friends, shinobi and hawk set out for their return to Konoha.

Exactly at the four day mark the pair arrived outside of the Konoha gate where Kotetsu and Izumo were (theoretically) keeping watch. Startled by the abrupt landing of a giant bird, the gate guards prepared to sound the alarm.  
"You two sure are jumpy for **guards**. It's a wonder you haven't been _fired_ yet" Chino teased.  
"It's just **you**. _Boy that's a relief_. For a second there I thought we were under attack" Izumo said totally relieved.  
"I thought so too, but **nobody** ever tries _invading_ the Village from the _front gate_. We should have guessed it was a summoning" Kotetsu added.  
"Keep up the good work" Chino said sarcastically as she entered the village with Taka close behind.  
A loud 'poof' sound could be heard in the background as the enormous bird Chino had summoned returned home. First thing to do was to check in with the Hokage to report on the success of the mission[s], although Tsunade probably only cared whether or not there was still a debt to be paid.

Tsunade had been anticipating the kunoichi's return since right after the girl had been deployed. Paranoia had begun to set in when the Kusannagi had not arrived on the 3rd day as she thought would happen. The Hokage had gone so far as to force Misaki into being a lookout for his own cousin. Misaki had never been so happy to see his cousin when he saw her enter the front gate. Pulling all-nighters was never something he had done well and exhaustion was making Misaki very irritable. Now he could finally get some sleep. Soramaru, his kestrel partner had fared better and ended up being the one to report the ANBU's presences in Konoha while Misaki collapsed into sleep right on the rooftop he had been perched on at the time. Chino was beckoned into the office before she could knock a second time against the heavy wooden door.

"I thought you would have reported in before now" Tsunade spoke solemnly.

"With all respect My Lady you did give me 4 days from when I was assigned the mission. I still have 3 hours until the deadline."  
Tsunade frowned angrily at the girl's comment. "I'm aware of _that_. You normally finish missions _early_."  
Trying not to show any disrespect kunoichi responded, "Had I _only_ to talk to that old man I would have been back yesterday. However, since there was a secondary mission I had to complete, it took longer. Humans were only helpful in locating the spy's remains. Apparently he died just outside the town limits and the town folk saw to it that a local priest over saw the burial. They had no knowledge of next of kin to contact. _Birds_ were my only source of information on the whereabouts of the document's location. It's not the most reliable way of finding something since wild birds aren't usually interested in the actions of humans. Unless they directly affect them, that is. I wasn't the only one searching so I had to be more careful so those others wouldn't come after me. Honestly if it wasn't for the birds I wouldn't have found the document. Your spy was really good at his job. It's too bad he died."

"Indeed. He was one of our best to be sure. Shizune, I'm leaving it up to you to contact any remaining family and inform them of his passing. Also you'll have to see if they wish to request to have the remains brought home to Konoha. Kusannagi you'll have to deliver that document to our Intelligence division. Hand it to Inoichi Yamanaka directly. He'll know what to do with it and he was a personal friend of the deceased. I'm sure he would like to oversee the completion of his friend's final mission."

"Understood, I'll deliver it to him right away but he may be busy. While searching for the document I captured one of the other shinobi scouring the forest and sent him here on one of my summonings. He probably wound up at the Intelligence division if his actions didn't merit _torture_ first."  
As the Amazon shinobi turned to leave Tsunade stopped her from exiting. " _Where do you think you're going_?"  
Chino stared at the Hokage questioningly. "You just told me to go to the Intelligence division headquarters."

" **Not** without telling me how your **originally** assigned mission went, _you're not_."  
Chino laughed nervously. She had forgotten about that part since it went so smoothly.  
"Right, the _debt_. He bought the story so the debt is cancelled. **Technically** , we made money actually. There are ' _condolence_ _gifts_ ' meant for the elders in this scroll. Considering you're not really dead and the elders **won't** be happy to find out about this _incident_ , you should probably send them to other debt collectors before anyone sees them and asks questions. They look expensive so this should be enough to pay at least one person off."  
Tsunade took the scroll from Chino and handed it to Shizune to have the items value appraised somewhere outside of the Village. Again Chino went to leave.  
"Did I say you were dismissed", Tsunade said strongly.  
Chino couldn't think of a reason why she would still need to be detained any further but she couldn't leave the office without permission.

"You still haven't said one word about what you told Tousen to convince him my ' _death_ ' was genuine. You're **not** leaving this office until I hear the story you told him."  
Chino fidgeted where she stood. She had been hoping a simple mission accomplished would have been enough.  
Then Tsunade would be too happy over her good fortune to ask.

"Well about that …. I was just going to put it in a mission report or something."  
Tsunade's face paled. " _A mission report_? I **don't** want any **evidence** of this in **writing**! You'll tell me what happened and then the matter is finished. This doesn't apply to your retrieval of the document. That was an official mission and a report **must** be completed and **only** that mission. The whole reason that mission was added, other than the practicality of it being in the same general area, was too cover up your initial objective. There was no other way to _justify_ sending out a ninja to such a far off distance when we're _constantly_ running into instances when we're short staffed. Now tell me what I want to know so you can get out of my office. I'm very busy right now."

After taking a deep breath in preparation, the truth was revealed. "I told Tousen-san you died of …."

**_BANG_** !

The sudden loud noise not only cut short the explanation, but also put the three kunoichi on alert all for different reasons. Tsunade was worried someone was eavesdropping, Shizune was afraid Konoha was under attack again, and Chino wanted to know if the distraction would wind up preventing her from telling Tsunade the story she made up. The two younger kunoichi rushed to the door to investigate.  
" **STOP**!" Tsunade ordered, making both shinobi freeze instantly.  
" **Shizune** , find out what's going on and what the hell was that _noise_. **Kusannagi** , you _stay_. We're not done yet. This story of yours better meet my requirements or you'll be in a lot of **trouble**."

Luckily for Konoha, the noise was not an announcement of an attack, but rather the result of an accident. Some nondescript shinobi office worker types had accidently sent a cart carrying a filing cabinet flying down the staircase when one of them slipped on a paper that had fallen out. When the heavy cabinet reached the bottom of the stairs it wound up being launched into the wall at the ending of the landing. A loud banging noise was the result of the impact as the cabinet had nearly crashed through the wall. For once Kotetsu and Izumo weren't to blame since they were still at the guard posts. By the time Shizune was finished investigating the noise and its source, the Hokage was alone in the office and still slightly agitated over the simplicity and true believability of Chino's story of her " _death_ ".

* * *

Meanwhile, Shino had been waiting for Chino to leave the Hokage's office. He had been waiting for her since yesterday when it was believed she would return. Even with all the time he had to come up with a way to approach the bird handler, Shino still hadn't thought of a plan he was satisfied with. An extra day hadn't made all the difference except maybe on his nerves. The bugs were beginning to get agitated in response to Shino's condition and it was making them all the more difficult to control. Talking to Kurenai sensei had proved to be relatively unsuccessful. The Genjutsu expert kept encouraging her student to talk to his parents. She was convinced his feelings were more serious than he was letting on. Implications of interest beyond that of a comrade confused the bug handler.  
Shino didn't consider his interest in the newcomer as anything more than a fascination with a foreign culture. Never had it crossed his mind that his feelings were romantic in nature toward the ANBU fighter. Long ago Shino came to the realization that love may be out of the question for him. Girls couldn't help being creeped out by the idea of bugs living inside him and possibly crawling on them if they so much as held hands with an Aburame, forget kissing one. Given the situation, Shino felt he would end up in an arranged marriage to some distant relative within the clan just like the majority of his family.

Still there were signs of hope. While at the picnic the other day, this girl had climbed over him and his bugs to get in a better position to attack Kiba from. After attacking his teammate she calmly picked off any of his bugs that had gotten on her and fed some to her hawk. Any bugs that didn't go to the hawk were forced up her target's nose with the aid of wind chakra. A girl like that defied logic from Shino's point of view. That said, he still had no assurance that this kunoichi would want him or if he himself wanted that kind of relationship yet.

While Shino was struggling with his thoughts and emotions, he had fallen far behind Chino. By the time he had caught up to her, the Aburame realized he couldn't follow her any further. No shinobi entered the Intelligence Division headquarters without permission and a good reason. Shino had neither. Outside was where he had to stay until Chino came out. After a few hours the bug handler was growing impatient and angry at himself for starting to lose his patience. Determined to find out what was taking so long. A handful of bugs were sent to investigate.

Chino had opted to stay until the analysis of the document was completed and the interrogation of the prisoner she captured was finished. Since she was involved already, Inoichi couldn't find a reason to send her away. Besides, it was understandable that the girl would be curious about what was so important to be worth dying for and hidden so elaborately. The elder Yamanaka also couldn't deny that without this girl's unique abilities his friend would have failed his final mission and died in vain. For that he owed her the chance to see things through to the end. It was late before the proceedings were completed. Chino was picked to bring the findings to the Hokage since she was the only one not overtired.

Now that it was too late to do anything for today, Shino left some of his bugs in charge of tailing the girl so he would be able to find her tomorrow. His resolve was set. Tomorrow he would most definitely talk to her before she found out Shino had been following her and accused him of stalking. That was certainly not the way to start any relationship, friendly or romantic.

* * *

The next day Chino snuck out to the woods before a shinobi could tell her to report to the Hokage's office for another mission. Outside the Village it was peaceful and quiet. One would find it hard to believe this area was under constant threat of invasion or destruction judging solely on the stillness of the place. For a moment it was if the kunoichi had been transported to the forest neighboring the Village of the Amazons. Of course the reason for the quietness surrounding the Amazonian forest had to do with the patrols of the area and nearby townsfolk believing the forest was haunted and therefore to be avoided at all costs. While thinking of home, Chino remembered the reason she had come out to this hollow in the first place.

Finding a comfortable spot on the mossy ground, Chino set down her pack and took out some art supplies. [She had been angry to discover that a certain replacement Team 7 member was also good with art but she wasn't about to stop just because of him.] Force of habit had compelled the Amazon kunoichi to illustrate aspects of places she went to so she would never forget them. Sometimes Chino even tried to draw places from memory just to see how much detail she could remember. Her favorite thing to do above these activities was to sketch the animals that lived in the places she travelled.  
After drawing some of the scenery Chino tried to reach out to the local birds. Promises of food as a reward for posing made it easy to convince at least a few of them to come to her. Then later in the day the birds brought deer, rabbits, squirrels, frogs, and other animals for Chino to work with. This went on until about lunch time, with the ANBU operative moving to a different part of the woods about every hour or so. Taka helped handing out the bread, seeds, vegetables, and fruit his partner had brought for the animal models.

Once everyone had some lunch, Chino had to ask the animals to vacate the clearing and adjacent areas because she wanted to do some training without having to worry about accidently injuring them. As soon as it was all clear Chino trained until she felt like taking a break. Then she wrote up her regular report to Raiku-hime and sent Taka off to the relay point to the Amazon Village. While Taka was gone the shinobi looked up at the sky and wondered if any of her family's birds that Tsunade had borrowed as messengers were going to show up with orders for her. Mentioning her family's birds made the Kusannagi clan member think about her family back home and her home village in general. Comparatively, Konoha was too quiet (so far) and normal for the bird handler.

She missed the craziness of her home, but there were some perks to being away from home. Getting caught up in clan politics was one thing Chino would not miss. More responsibility was the last thing the young clan member wanted, but lately some of the elders were pushing for Chino to be nominated as the next clan leader. If not leader, at the very least they thought she be given a position on the Kusannagi clan council. Her Aunt/Godmother was already a part of the ruling body of the clan until the government of the Village promoted her to the Amazon Council. Because of this association, Chino wasn't expecting her immediate family to oppose her nomination for a seat on the clan's Council.  
The main things keeping her from being declared the next leader right now was because of her and Ashido's involvement in one of the most controversial council decisions in recent clan history and how almost half of the clan was convinced that Chino was a danger to herself and others (for some reason she couldn't understand). Talk of possessions had to be Raiku-hime creating rumors so Chino could be connected to Team 17 permanently, or at least that was what she believed. Nobody was willing to confirm or deny any theory.

* * *

Taka had barely returned from his delivery when Chino felt the presence of a shinobi's chakra. Since it somehow felt familiar the ANBU warrior took it to be a person leaving Konoha for a mission and ignored the feeling, still looking to the skies. It came as a bit of a surprise that the ninja, a boy around her age, had come to stand by a nearby tree instead of passing by. Guessing he just needed a rest before continuing on and feeling it was safer to stay by a fellow shinobi, Chino continued to act as if nothing had happened. The longer this boy stood there not speaking the more nervous and annoyed she got, causing her thoughts to race.  
' _What is with him? Did I find his_ secret hideout _or something? Or maybe he thinks I'm avoiding my own mission? What if he's come to deliver a message from the Hokage instead of the birds?_ ** _Taka_** _do you think we're in trouble for ditching_?'

Taka just shrugged and considered whether he should attack the male for being too close to his human. Suddenly Chino realized she hadn't checked to see who he was. The face was covered by sunglasses and a trench coat. It occurred to her she may actually know this particular male ninja and that's why he was waiting. Sensing this staring contest wasn't getting her anywhere, Chino decided she would have to be the one to talk first.  
"Hello. I believe I know you. You're that bug boy the shy Hyuga girl introduced me to at the party. Come to think of it … you were in the Hokage's office too. Sorry for almost running you over the other day. You're an Aburame right?" She questioned the mysterious boy.

"Shino Aburame." Such a short reply didn't give her much to go on.

' _What an answer. That still_ doesn't _explain the staring. I wonder if he's still mad about the other day_.'  
Taka started to complain but his partner cut him off so she could continue questioning him.  
"Anything I can help you with, seeing you clearly were trying to get my attention? You weren't sent here with a _mission_ or a **_letter_** of any kind were you?"  
The boy shook his head no. For a small instant the kunoichi thought perhaps Shizune might have sent Shino to give the request to the Amazon Council.  
' ** _Damn_** _, guess I'll have to do_ paperwork _with Shizune after all if I want that letter_.'  
Shino still wasn't talking and Chino couldn't figure out what was going on if he wasn't here to deliver an ultra-secret, going behind the Hokage's back, type letter.

The girl watched as this relative stranger started digging into one of the pockets of his coat. Not that he was really showing it, but Chino got the idea the bug handler was nervous and/or confused.  
' ** _Oh crap_** _, what if Tsunade found out what we were planning and she sent him to_ kill _me or give me a_ death threat _or_ punishment.'  
Quietly Shino walked over to the young woman, took her hand, raised it up, placed something in her hand, and then stood back. Given how quickly he put space between them, Chino expected the object to be poisonous, explosive, or otherwise dangerous in her outstretched hand. Oddly the thing felt silky and smooth. The female ANBU blinked in confusion as she stared at a small silk blanket.  
' ** _Huh_**?' she thought, stunned.  
The girl couldn't think of anything she could have done for this boy to deserve a present. If anything she should have given him a present for helping her with the mail delivery and saving her from Naruto's stupidity when she first arrived [see Ch 6: Shino Left Out, 6th par. from the end].  
"Is this for me?"

Avoiding the real reason for the gift, Shino simply said, "My mother makes silk using the silk worms on our property."

"Uhh-huh, right silk worms make silk and what? Are you in the habit of randomly presenting women with silk, or is this some kind of welcome to Konoha present?"

Shino frowned behind his coat collar. This was harder than he thought.  
' _Maybe women are the ones to present men with gifts where she is from_.'  
He really hoped he hadn't in some way offended this person.  
"No, not exactly. I thought you would like it since you weren't afraid of bugs. I apologize if I have done something wrong."

Just then, Chino had recovered enough from the surprise of receiving an expensive gift out of the blue from someone she barely knew to notice bugs were crawling on her. And not just any bugs, but the Aburame's special chakra devouring kikaichu beetles. Knowing panicking would cause them to attack; Chino looked up at Taka, raised her arms and adjusted her stance so the hawk could get a clear shot at them. Taka did his best to eat or kill every one of the beetles crawling on his partner without exciting them or hurting Chino.  
Such a position might have looked strange to others, but to the Kusannagi it was almost natural. Bugs were always getting on birds and by extension the people who handled them. Birds pick through their feathers to find bugs to eat and they pick off the bugs on their human partners. If you don't want to get pecked it's better to leave the birds plenty of room to reach their prey unhindered.

Seeing Shino adjust his sunglasses and stare at the scene before him made Chino realize there was something possibly out of place about her current behavior. Thinking further on the mater, the Amazonian came to the conclusion that unlike back home, a Konoha girl's first instinct when it came to bugs was probably to flail and run screaming (instead of grabbing the nearest object, weapon, or animal to kill them). Some Amazonians preferred to catch the bugs for reasons including pets, pranks, torture devices, food for pets, or collections. With a strong feeling she was right; Chino understood why the bug handler felt the need to give her a present. Besides maybe Hinata she was probably the first girl not to be thoroughly creeped out by Shino.

"First I want to say I hope this does not upset you or appear strange in any way. Next I want to say I can see you're not used to a girl who doesn't mind bugs. By the way, thanks for the gift. It really is lovely and feels great too."  
Then the young woman quickly put the blanket in her pack after seeing how Taka eyed it. She explained it as not wanting to get the blanket dirty, but Chino really wanted to make sure Taka didn't rip it to shreds in a fit of jealousy. The hawk never did well with male humans around his partner. Hawks were territorial and somehow the kunoichi was placed under 'part of my territory' in Taka's mind, which meant she had to be protected at all costs.

After the blanket was safely out of sight Shino asked, "You _really_ don't mind the bugs?"  
Chino nodded while saying, "I _really_ don't mind the bugs. But be warned if those things get on me they're as good as squashed or eaten by Taka. That counts **double** if they try to eat my chakra."  
As Shino fidgeted slightly where he stood, everything that had happened was starting to come together.

This boy helped her when she first arrived, sat with her at the party, kept showing up everywhere she was, giving her expensive gifts, nervousness, and fixating on her tolerance of bugs.  
' ** _Oh my kunai_** _! I think he's trying to_ hit on _me, but he's_ **really** _bad at it. Still it's kind of cute in an_ awkward _sort of way. For someone who's so blunt about everything else I'm surprised he hasn't just come out and said he_ ** _likes_** _me. Mental note, try to improve the bug boy's social skills. …. Maybe this could work. If not it will at least be interesting for as long as it lasts_.'

Any boy who had ever liked Chino in the past had been more interested in her high standing within her clan and connections to the Senju clan or Amazon Council. Finding someone who was interested in Chino for her, and how she thinks of him, was a new and refreshing experience. Being away from the Village of Amazons also meant there was a possibility of this Amazonian actually having a relationship last more than a few days. This was mostly due to a certain Amazonian princess not having the chance to scare him away as someone outed the boy as being interested in the bird handler.  
The first poor fool to publicly confess feelings for Chino wound up in the hospital the next day after being partially mauled by a tiger. Another boy was added to Rinku's 'collection' within 3 days. Someone else was permanently relocated to an outpost on some far away border after 5 days. Others simply received scathing threats, veiled threats, death threats, and all other forms of threats of one type of violence or another. There was also one boy in particular she was sure was one of the first victims of the Senju princess's ' _Castration_ Jutsu', but there was no way he would admit it.  
Finally, there was one person Chino remembered [as not being originally from her Village] who tried to force himself on her, only to be assigned to a mission that he never returned from. His bloodied shirt and forehead protector were eventually found and Chino just assumed it wasn't due to an enemy.

' _The way things are going it may be a month or more before Team 17 gets here,_ ** _if ever_** _. I guess it's_ safe _to try dating. If Raiku-hime and Taka weren't so damn overprotective I would have been able to start dating long ago. More than likely bug boy hasn't been on many dates either. Why isn't he_ talking _? This is normally the part where people ask if you're seeing anyone. Aren't the_ ** _guys_** _the ones who ask_ **girls** _out in this Village? Well if he's_ not _going to do it I_ will _. Here goes nothing_.'  
Chino laughed at the idea of how the situation would look to the other males of Shino's peer group if they ever found out a girl asked him out instead of the other way around.

Shino was shocked that the laughing girl would pull him into a tight hug. Except for maybe his mom, Shino had never had a female hold him so tightly before. What happened next shocked even more.

"You know what? You're kind of cute you socially awkward bug boy. I really think things are going to work out quite nicely between us. This situation reminds me of home so you're stuck with me for a while. Just so you don't forget, my name is **Chino** and starting _now_ I'm your girlfriend, at least for as long as I want it. Oh …. And you **DON'T** have a say in this. Until I change my mind or you die in a _horrible accident_ , you **ARE** my boyfriend. Come on now; let's get out back to the Village."  
Chino had to grab the boy's wrist and pull at him to get him to move since Shino was too in shock to move on his own. Somehow his confused mind was able to work enough to say "Okay" as he was being half dragged back to Konoha.

He never expected giving a girl a silk blanket would get him into a relationship.  
' _She's just like the wind she controls, sweeping me away_ ', Shino thought to himself in awe.  
As he began to process what was happening and facts started to sink in and one fact stood out in his mind. Shino came completely to a dead stop, almost causing Chino to trip.  
"What's wrong? Don't go all petrified on me again. I'm **not** going to pull around some _statue_ of a person" Chino said teasingly.  
Taka stared the boy down, obviously opposed to Chino's decision in taking a boyfriend.

"You just said your name was **_Chino_**."

It took the ANBU fighter a minute to understand she hadn't used her codename.  
"Right …. my _name_. You see, about that …. _Mizuki_ was the **codename** Tsunade gave me since I'm in ANBU and all. She's not good at coming up with family names so she let me keep my real surname. That's why I really pushed the whole calling me _Kusannagi-san_ thing. Well there's that and there's this really snobby, rich, b – _witch_ of a girl back home named Mizuki and I can't stand being called that 'cuz then I think of her. Besides, lying to you about my real name isn't a good way to start a relationship, **right**? However, you're gonna have to keep it a _secret_ since I can't use the name Chino without permission. Speaking of secrets, you didn't happen to mention to anyone anything about the mission I just got back from?"

"It was too ridiculous a statement to repeat."  
Chino sighed, feeling totally relieved.  
"Good, because **nobody** is allowed to know about that so it's our _secret_. Now let's keep walking."  
As he moved to keep pace with his new girlfriend Shino asked, "That was a real mission?"  
Chino laughed at the question. "Yeah. I really had to convince someone our dear Hokage was deceased and secretly replaced with a body double all to erase a debt."  
Everyone, well every ninja, had heard about Tsunade's debt issues and although tricking someone to get out of repayment wasn't ethical, it did help out the Village. Shino never really liked the idea of gambling, now more so than ever as it forced Konoha into an awful financial situation.

"Are you allowed to tell me how Lady Tsunade 'died' or will you be in trouble?"  
Chino shrugged to indicate she was unsure of the answer.  
"As long as you don't say anything I guess it's fine. They weren't too hard to convince. I told them she died of **alcohol poisoning** after getting _exceptionally_ drunk. One guy remembered her almost clearing them out of sake and had expected alcohol would be the death of her one day. Probably didn't know she was a _ninja_. Enough about that we're almost back in Konoha. Remember, that mission **never** happened, _got it_?"  
Shino simply nodded in agreement.

* * *

The new couple was barely inside the Village when a passing group of Jonin and ANBU got Chino's attention.  
" **Hey bird girl get over her**!" Yugao called out loudly.  
" **Yeah,** _yeah_ , **hurry** , _hurry_!" Anko added, just as noisily.  
Most of the others Chino didn't really know except for Genma.  
"What's so important? You look like you're in a hurry."  
A person who was hidden near the back of the group pushed forward to answer Chino's question.  
"We're going to a Karaoke bar and restaurant. It's **ninja only** night and the dining area fills up _quickly_ so we want to make sure we get somewhere to sit. Otherwise we'll miss dinner and only get to have snacks later in the night."

"Hey Hana, I didn't see you back there. That sounds cool but what's with ninja only night? Is this some kind of shinobi appreciation thing?"  
Most of the group broke out into varying degrees of laughter.  
" **No,** we're just too much for the villagers to handle. Things get a little too crazy for them, you know?" Genma spoke up after he finished laughing.  
Chino was pretty sure she knew exactly what Genma meant. "Oh I get it. You guys trash the place and scare the _normal_ people" Chino teased, directing her comment at the people she knew.  
Back home what few villagers there were couldn't understand how to function around ninja or make sense of their behavior.  
"So you gonna come with us or what?" Anko asked.

"Anyone else I know going?" Chino enquired.  
This time Yugao answered. "Not really anyone your age but Asuma, Kurenai, Tsume, and Yamato should be there already. Kakashi never really answered but he'll probably show which means _Gai_ will probably crash. Raido and Aoba, Gen's friends, are going to come after their shift in the missions room. I think you met them before."  
Chino looked over her shoulder at her new boyfriend. He was looking at the ground. Without needing to say anything Chino knew he had to be upset she was the only one invited.  
" **Please** say you'll come. If I get called in to work you are the _only_ one I can trust to get these **two** home _safely_ " Hana complained as she gestured at Anko and Yugao.  
" **HEY**!" both women shouted as they hit the vet playfully.

"I'll go _if_ he can come too," Chino stated while moving to the side and pointing back at Shino.  
"Bring _who_? You mean _him_. He's one of those bug people. We're going to a restaurant you **don't** need to bring your own food" Genma joked.  
The bird handler didn't find the comment amusing and the Amazonian habit of standing up for your man kicked in. She walked up to Genma and kicked him right where no man wants to be kicked. As Genma doubled over in agony any other man who laughed at the joke backed away, fearing to be next.  
" **NOT** funny _Shiranui_. 1) That's cruel to Shino-kun and 2) I **DON'T** eat bugs or _People_."  
Yugao complained about her needing that particular part of Genma intact while Anko whined about hurrying up before all the dango was gone.

"If that's what you want he can come. Just don't kick anyone once we get there alright?" Hana offered and nobody felt like contradicting her.  
Then as the group started moving again Hana whispered to Chino, "When did you start calling him _Shino_ - ** _kun_**? Kiba said…"  
Chino was quick to cut the vet off. " _Don't_ listen to your brother, he's an **idiot**. I'll explain later."

When the group arrived they were still in time to be seated and found a spot near the others Yugao mentioned earlier. Surprisingly Kakashi had shown up and was seated on the opposite side of Asuma from Kurenai. Gai was nowhere to be seen as of yet. Two places were saved for Genma's friends even though they would most likely arrive after dinner was over. Dinner passed without a major incident until it was over. There was arguing over who should get to sing first. The female manager settled the fight by going first herself and making the others draw straws for the remaining beginning slots.  
Early on the Jonin/ANBU crowd Chino had come with decided that everyone had to sing at least once before they could leave. Soon the rest of the room was in agreement. Out of the first collection of people singing, most of them couldn't sing well to begin with or were already too drunk to do anything well. It didn't look like the quality of ability was going to get any better. Horrible singing annoyed Taka so he escaped as quickly as he could.

An hour or so passed before Chino was sent up on stage alone. Anko made up some rule that first timers to the group sing alone. Chino was sure this so-called 'rule' was devised for the sole purpose of making fun of a person's poor singing abilities. If this was true then Anko would be disappointed. Growing up around songbirds caused most Kusannagi children to sing in nonsensical sounds before they could talk. By the time they reached Chino's age, most Kusannagi's could sing better than the majority of their peers.

Once she started singing most of the room fell quiet either because they were trying to figure out if they knew the song or because the female ANBU was the first person to sound well enough to be worth listening to. Applause broke out as soon as the Amazonian finished. Now that everyone knew she could actually sing, other people, not necessarily from the crowd of shinobi she came with, kept asking Chino to sing with them. Even the manager had Chino sing a duet with her. Shino became increasingly more jealous but never told her so. As much as he wanted to leave, Shino wasn't leaving without his girlfriend and Chino couldn't leave until Yugao and Anko were ready to leave. [Hana had to leave so Chino was left to babysit since she was guaranteed to be sober.]

When the night was over, Shino wasn't sure if he should be relieved that he didn't end up having to sing or angry that no one noticed he hadn't. Neji had been forced to sing and he was only there to call some of the ANBU at the bar to work while the Aburame was there the whole night. Everyone but Chino had forgotten he was even there.  
"Does this count as our first date?" Shino asked once their charges were home safely and the pair was walking to Chino's apartment building.  
Taka had never come back so Chino expected he was already inside. She had left a window open when they left that morning so he could get in on his own.  
"Sort of. It would have been better if we were alone. Maybe we can have lunch together tomorrow. How does that sound?"  
Shino quietly replied, "That sounds good."  
Having reached her building Chino kissed Shino's cheek and went inside after the couple decided where and when to meet the next day.

Right then Shino decided he needed to move out of his parent's house and off Aburame land altogether. His girlfriend mentioned she still lived at home when she was in her own Village so Shino knew Chino wouldn't mind that her boyfriend still lived at home. However, if he expected to have any time alone with her, Shino would have to get his own place. It wouldn't be fair to the girl to always have to go to her apartment every time they wanted some privacy. That might be how things worked in the Amazon Village but in Konoha; a man took care of his partner, not the other way around.

The next day, Shino brought Chino to lunch at a restaurant Team 8 once frequented when they were still Genin. Taka pecked at the bug handler every time he tried to hold his human partner's hand. Due to his bad behavior Taka was left outside while the couple ate. Taka's jealousy issues became more of a problem as the relationship continued. The hawk took any opportunity he could get to peck the boy. He also ate Shino's beetles, tried scratching him with his talons, and tore up his coat. More than once he had stolen the boyfriend's sunglasses and hid them or dropped them from high heights, causing them to break. Other times Taka became fixated on perching on Chino or sitting on her lap so her bug boy couldn't touch her. Eventually the hawk eased off some because Chino kept scolding or punishing him.

Few people were told about the relationship. Kurenai knew right away as she expected it to happen as soon as her student asked her advice on how to get close to women. Kurenai then told Asuma. Shino's parents had to be told but he waited a week so they wouldn't stop him from moving out. Hinata understood what was going on once Shino's way of addressing their new friend changed suddenly, followed by her seeing them together more frequently. Misaki figured it out but was blackmailed by his cousin into keep it a secret. Hana kept bugging Chino ever since the Karaoke night until she told Hana that he was her boyfriend. Kiba was the only one who didn't realize what was going on with his teammate who should have figured it out. Tsume, his mother had realized it on her own, as soon as she could detect the scent of feathers on her son's friend every time he came over.

Kiba's obliviousness became a source of amusement for Chino and the Inuzukas. So instead of telling him they took bets on how long it would be before Kiba discovered his teammate had a girlfriend. What Chino found more amusing was her bug boy's belief that Kiba did know they were dating and chose not to say anything. Honestly Chino couldn't understand how Kiba didn't know she and Shino were a couple.  
He had seen them together plenty of times. Kiba had seen them eating together at restaurants and food stands, doing errands together, shopping together, and going off on their own together. The Inuzuka had even seen Chino teaching Shino origami, showing his teammate her artwork, Shino attempting to pose for drawings [emphasis on 'attempt'], and the Aburame giving Chino flowers or gifts. Once Chino even showed up with Shino at what was meant to be a Team 8 dinner at Kiba's house. The bird handler had pushed the dog boy out of the way so she could sit next to Shino and his teammate didn't complain or correct her behavior.  
Shino had also requested to have Chino accompany him on a mission over Kiba. Both shinobi had a reputation of early mission completion, but for the second time since arriving in Konoha, Chino cut it close to the deadline. Only half an hour was left to the deadline when the pair of shinobi reported back. At this point Tsunade and Shizune expected something was going on between the two. Still Kiba had no clue.

* * *

Shino and Chino had been dating for about 20 days by the end of their joint mission. After handing in their mission report Chino was told to report to Shizune the next day to help with paperwork and Shino was going to be given a solo mission to complete. Chino showed up on time since without Shino in the Village there was nothing to distract her. Within the hour Shizune passed Chino an envelope.  
"What's _this_?" Shizune stared at the young woman in disbelief.  
"Don't you remember our _agreement_? I know it's a little late coming, but it's the request to the Amazon Council to send **Team 17**."  
Chino had forgotten all about the request since she wasn't so bored anymore.  
Unenthusiastically Chino responded, "Oh … that's right, of course."  
Shizune was surprised by the letter's lackluster reception. "Is something wrong? I _thought_ you would be happy."

"It's just I remembered how _strict_ Raiku-hime can be that's all. Plus I …. uhh… already sent a bird out today. This will have to wait 'til tomorrow now."  
Now that Chino had the letter she wasn't sure if she wanted it anymore. Having her friends in the same Village as her again could be fun, but it might mean she would lose her boyfriend (possibly literally).  
' _Maybe she won't take it seriously since he's_ practically **_invisible_** _and_ infested _with_ ** _bugs_** **'** , Chino thought, trying to cheer herself up. ' _Shizune took a_ ** _big_** risk _by giving this to me so I have to follow through. This Village does really need the help. Guess I have no choice now. I'll have to arrange for_ two _routes to the Amazon Village tomorrow. At least it should take a few days for Team 17 to get approval, get prepared, and travel here_.'  
After helping Shizune with paperwork in relative silence Chino went out to have Taka tell her regular messenger bird there will need to be two birds at the last relay point instead of the usual one.

The next morning Chino took out two letters and gave her hawk instructions to have the one with the Hokage's seal go to her Godmother and the one with the clan symbol to go to Raiku as usual. It took almost a day for the secret letter to make it to the Amazon Village and reach Tomoyo Kusannagi, Chino's godmother [and her mother's sister]. In addition to the fake letter from Tsunade was a small, handwritten note by Chino explaining the letter was for the Council and how Tomoyo should read it before deciding to hand it to the head of the Council or the Council head in training. Judging from the contents of the letter, Chino's aunt decided the Council head in training should not see the letter before the rest of the Council so she couldn't use it as leverage. The Council would need to be notified that there was a reason to convene for a special advisory session. Considering how many members of the Council there were, not to mention their assistants, this would take some time to organize. Some of the members were currently out of the Village and others were simply very busy right now. Making the necessary preparations all without a certain someone finding out would complicate things all the more. If anyone could pull it off it was Tomoyo Kusannagi and that's what she intended to do.

For any member outside the Village, a messenger bird was sent out. To keep away suspicion the birds were sent out in intervals and originally in the wrong directions to be rerouted once clear of the area. For others fake business meetings or 'audits' were staged. Notes were slipped between money at vendors or restaurants, some to be handed off to the people they were intended for (if the one getting the money wasn't meant to get it). ANBU operatives and even member's children were used to pass along summons. One member received the announcement inside a bouquet of flowers from a 'secret admirer'.

When it came to delivering the original letter along with the notice of the organization of a full Council meeting to Sunako Senju, the Kusannagi clan member had to be especially careful. Since Chino's Aunt was in charge of overseeing the Village and Council's finances she pretended to be delivering an important expense report to the leader of the Village of Amazons. A second copy of the report was made in case Raiku felt the need to look it over as well.  
By saying "I think you'll find page 5 particularly _exciting_ " the woman had secretly sent a coded message to the elder Senju about a secondary report hidden inside.

"What could possibly be exciting about a group of boring papers on how much we spend as a Village" Raiku stated while gesturing for the papers to see what the fuss was about.  
The secondary copy was handed over to the Senju princess.  
"Page 5 is about the sales of _candies_ and _sweets_."  
Sunako checked her page 5 before saying, "I find the candy business exciting. I thought about getting into it after **retiring**."  
Raiku stared at her mother incredulously. " _Since_ ** _when_**?"  
Her mother responded with a vague answer and then Tomoyo excused herself from the Senju home. Talk of retirement was the signal that Sunako saw the envelope and approved of the meeting's organization.

All of the tactics to keep Raiku out of the loop seemed to work, because on the day of the meeting the princess didn't stop her mother from leaving the house without her. In the council assembly room Sunako, as leader of the Village of Amazons and head of the Amazon Council, took a seat in the Council head's chair instead of the one to the immediate right as she would have done if Raiku was present. Technically Sunako was still in charge but recently she had left her oldest daughter in control, as training for when she retired from her post officially. Sena, her assistant, took his place behind Sunako as other Council members took their seats.

There were representatives from the merchant and agricultural guilds, ANBU Black Ops, the Amazon Ninja Academy, various Defense and Military organizations, the Single Male Special Interest Group (S.M.I.G.), the Association for Male Protection, Education, and Development (A.M.P.E.D.), as well as the clan liaisons and other Village Elders. The second in command explained the reason for the meeting and instructed all present to hold their questions until after the request letter was read in its entirety. Since Chino's Aunt was the one who had first seen it, she was asked to read the letter.

While this was going on, Raiku was wondering where her mother and Sena were. Normally it wasn't that hard to locate them. Someone would give them up eventually, but none of the people she asked had seen either person. Raiku knew she couldn't have left the Village because her mother would have told her she was in charge until the Village leader returned. Currently, Raiku had been working on a way to get the Council to meet so she could present them with her requests for what felt like the hundredth time. Every time before, her two requests were denied/the decisions were postponed, but Raiku wasn't about to give up. Badgering the few male Council members seemed like the best plan, but they were also MIA. Now Raiku was growing suspicious about the situation.

About this time, Team 18 came into the pissed off princess's line of sight and she rushed over to them.  
" **Tokihiko get over here**! I have something to ask you."  
The female members of the team eyed their male counterpart with concern.  
"She looks mad. _What did you_ ** _do_**?" Juria asked, worrying for his safety.  
Daichi had other things on her mind. "If she ends up _killing_ you can I have your weapons?"  
Tokihiko felt like hitting her for teasing him.  
"If some girl has told you I broke her heart on a whim she's lying I swear."  
Raiku stomped her foot on the ground to show her displeasure at the remark.

"I _don't_ know what you're talking about but I'll **investigate** it anyway. I'm **Not** in the mood for your romantic _nonsense_ right now. Answer this question **now**. Your father is good friends with my mother's assistant Sena _right_?"  
The question didn't seem that important to the male but he had to answer. "Since they were kids, why?"  
Rather gruffly and directly Raiku made her demand. "I _need_ to know where Sena is **Now**."  
Tokihiko was a little puzzled. "He stopped by our house this morning. Dad said he saw him head toward the Council Assembly Hall after the visit."  
Red tinted Raiku's cheeks in anger.  
" _Wait_ doesn't Sena **only** go there when there's a _council meeting_? You must have heard your dad wrong" Juria told the male member of Team 18.  
"You're right. Raiku-hime would be there if there really was a meeting of the council" Tokihiko agreed with the shorter female.  
"Unless they didn't tell her so they can get some work done" Daichi teased.  
For her part Raiku had been quiet during this exchange. Although Daichi was only trying to goad her, the Senju girl realized it might actually be true.

Suddenly she turned on her heels and Raiku stormed off in the direction of the Council Building. On her way to verify if the Council was meeting secretly Team 21 passed by.  
" **Raiku-ka-san** , where are you going?" Kenji called out.  
"Not now _honey_ , Mommy's **busy** " Raiku spit out while trying to push past him without hurting him.  
"You **never** have time for me _anymore_. Why did you bother to **adopt** me if you're just gonna blow me off. And _Jade's_ being mean to me again."  
Jade hit the only male in Team 21 upside the head declaring " **Don't** _lie_ to your mother. **You** were being _mean_ to me first you big _flirt_."  
Lei, the other kunoichi on the team added "She thinks he's been cheating so they're on their way to the off again stage for the whateverth time."  
Taking a deep breath to calm herself some, Raiku turned to face her first adopted son. "My dear boy, I believe your _grandmother_ is using the **Council** to _plot_ against me so forgive me if I put this **crisis** before your relationship troubles right now. I specifically told you dating **wasn't** for shinobi and you did it anyway. I'll make it up to you when this _rebellion_ is all over I promise. Kenji, Jade, please try and play nice now while I tend to this situation."

Jade ignored the last sentence of her princess's lecture and started arguing with her soon to be ex once again almost right away. A verbal battle quickly turned physical between these two and today was no exception. Lei just watched having gotten used to this sort of behavior from the rest of her team. She half expected her ANBU friend Su-zan to appear out of nowhere to watch the fight with Lei as often happened.  
"Just a friendly reminder: We have a **mission** tomorrow so could you please _consider_ healing some of the injuries you give Kenji this time. _Regardless_ of what you think of him right now Jade, we **will** need him."  
Normally Raiku would have gone over and separated the two but right now she had bigger concerns than Kenji's safety.

Upon reaching the Council Building, Raiku ordered her way past security and angrily marched herself to the chamber door. Kicking in the door, Raiku burst into the room and went directly to the center of the floor. She now had a clear view of the full assembly of the Amazon Council. By staring directly at her mother the young Senju could see this was a secret assembly because Sunako was seated in the Head of the Council's position, a spot Raiku had recently been allowed to control while in training.

" **Someone care to explain this outrage**?" Raiku demanded of the Council.

 


	17. Here Comes Trouble: Part 2 – Time to Head for Konoha

 

If Raiku had stormed in a little sooner she would have been present for the vote on whether or not to accept the Hokage's request or not. The representatives of the male organizations were the first to vote in favor of sending out Team 17, indefinitely. By the time the voting was complete only two members had voted against their departure: the representative of the Arms and Armory manufacturing guild and the leader of the Public Works and Construction organization. This was mostly because these two groups gained more from the Senju sister's continued violent and destructive presence within the Village. Had the reverse of the situation occurred and Raiku showed up a little later, she would have gotten all worked up for no reason. The Council was just about to disperse when Raiku confronted them. Since they were caught Sunako quickly came up with an excuse.

"We were testing your ability to detect secret meetings and I'm proud to say you passed. Let's all give my daughter a round of applause."  
All the members of the Council complied with the request but the ninja princess wasn't convinced.  
"If this is truly a _test_ than why are you seated in the chair reserved for the _Head of the Council_ , dear mother?" Raiku nearly growled through gritted teeth.  
"She _s_ the _real_ Head of the Council until her official retirement Raiku-hime-sama" the second in command offered as a cover.  
Then the head of a branch of ANBU Black Ops added "Even as a test, the Council must have someone sit in the leader's chair. Without your presence your mother is _expected_ to be the one to occupy that space."

Raiku pouted, and started to think of another question to try to break down this lie. She then realized she could take advantage of this situation.  
"Since you're all assembled here and have nothing else to do you might as well consider my proposals."  
Sunako rose from her seat to address her daughter. "You've shown a considerable amount of passion in your previous attempts. Your dedication is admirable. As it so happens, as you said, while we have nothing else to do, we did reconsider them. As to your request to go to Konoha and provide aid to our sister Village in its time of need, we have decided to allow it under specific _conditions_. Regarding your other request we will have to defer judgment for a later meeting. Only one personal request is allowed at a time. That is the rule and you are _no_ exception to it."

"Fine what are these _conditions_?"

The Council leader pointed to her assistant who she was currently having act as a secretary of sorts for the meeting. Sena read off the conditions.

1) You may only bring your own Team

2) You must be ready and willing to defend Konoha with your lives should it fall under attack while there

3) You must take on any mission assigned to you by the Hokage

4) Your Team must not inflict any major damage to any significant structures or homes in Konoha

5) You collect information on medical nin training methods or styles to send here to the Amazon Village

6) Your Team should try to train with either sensei or shinobi of Konoha as it will be to the benefit of all

7) You don't indefinitely incapacitate, maim, or kill any member of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, shinobi or villager

8) Your Team will return to the Village of Amazons if this Council recalls you or the Hokage dismisses you without delay

Sena retook his position behind Sunako after the conclusion of the list.  
"I will accept these conditions for myself and my Team only if I may add _conditions_ of my own" Raiku stated more to her mother then the rest of the Council.  
"What are your terms?"

"The Council places _me_ in charge of **ALL** Amazon Villagers in Konoha, _regardless_ of when they arrived there. I also request that the Council grants me permission to act as I see fit, especially in regards to the _health_ and _safety_ of the Amazon Villagers in Konoha."  
The second in command received the signal to commence a vote so Raiku was escorted outside the chamber. Now that the door was missing from Raiku kicking it off its hinges, the idea of keeping her in the hall seemed pointless. When the vote was complete Raiku was allowed back in the room and informed of the acceptance of her conditions. Team 17 was allowed to leave for Konoha as soon as they were prepared. Seeing there was nothing left for the Council to do, everyone was dismissed.

Raiku went straight home to start packing and get Rinku started. Out of the Team 17 members Rinku was the slowest when it came to get ready for an extended leave. Luckily for Raiku, she found her younger sister in the living room scribbling in a notebook which saved her the risk of trying to get her sister out of the den of debauchery [Rinku's room]. Without daring to look at what the younger Senju could possibly have been writing, Raiku informed her younger sister they had a mission.  
"Rinku, we have a mission so stop your scribbling at once and get packing already. We are going to Aunt Tsunade's Village and will be there for at least a month so pack accordingly. We will be leaving at first light _tomorrow_ so you better be ready and get your butt down to the exit gate on time or so help me I'll _drag_ you out of this house. Anything you forget can be written in a note for Chino to send to your father to forward to wherever we end up staying. I don't care what you bring as long as you can carry everything without _complaining_ and I DON'T see _any_ of it."

Rinku waited for her older sister to leave before looking for her father so she could ask about what kind of place Konoha was. While Rinku was busy disobeying orders, the person who gave her the orders was reaching one of many entrances into the underground tunnel network. Many secret and elite ANBU families like Miku's lived or worked in these tunnels. A vast labyrinth of dark, quiet tunnels lay before Raiku and she wasn't in the mood to get lost. (She never admits getting lost down there but it happens frequently.) She had a schedule to keep and little time to do so.  
As loud as she could the princess called "Miku of Team 17, this is your leader Raiku speaking. If you are _anywhere_ in these tunnels come to my location within the next 10 minutes. That's an _order_."  
She listened as her voice echoed off the tunnel walls. Although it was a little too dark to really see anything, Raiku could tell she must be near water because she could hear the sound of what she thought might be an underground river of some kind. Within 7 minutes Miku appeared beside Raiku.

"You called me?"

"Yes I did. We have a mission to prepare for. We are off to Konoha to save my _Aunt Tsunade's_ Village and _Chino_. Don't look at me like that I have permission this time."  
Miku shook her head. "I don't believe Chino needs saving. You must be exaggerating."  
Raiku wasn't amused. "Of course she needs _saving_. She's stuck in a village composed mainly of men. Around half the Village is defenseless _normal_ _Villagers_. And financial troubles have caused every shinobi to become _overworked_. She absolutely needs us there."  
This wasn't worth arguing. Most of what Raiku said was based in fact and if the Team really did have permission to depart there was no reason not to leave.  
"What exactly is the mission Raiku-hime?" Miku asked politely.  
"Don't worry about that now. There will be _plenty_ of time for explanations once we're on the road. Just be sure to pack for a month and be by the Village exit by dawn. And you're in charge of navigating by the way. Find the _fastest_ way possible. I don't want to be walking longer than necessary. So I'll see you tomorrow, goodbye."

* * *

 

Miku was the first one to arrive at the Village exit the next morning. Rinku was second and surprisingly Raiku was last. In her defense, she was held up by a kunoichi who admired the older princess and wanted to know where she was in a hurry to get to. It was a well-known fact that Raiku only got up earlier than three hours after dawn when she was going on a mission or there was some kind of emergency. Judging by how fast the Senju was moving the kunoichi was probably worried it was the latter reason. Not wanting to be further delayed, Raiku instructed her Team to leave through the guard post monitored by male shinobi since whoever was stationed there was less likely to care they were leaving.

As the group exited the Amazon Village Raiku was appalled to see the gate guards asleep at their post. Slamming her fist on the desk scared both shinobi awake.  
" **DISGRACEFUL**!" Raiku yelled at the young men once they were awakened, expressing the full force of how appalled she was.  
" _Raiku-hime_!" both shinobi exclaimed when the pair saw who it was who caught them literally sleeping on the job.  
"And you call yourselves _Guards_? If this Village was to be attacked right now you two _pathetic_ excuses for shinobi would be the first to die _without_ even a chance to raise the alarm. _Sleeping on the job_! For compromising the safety of every Amazonian I should have you _both_ …."

"Please have _mercy_ Raiku-hime!" Michi begged while half cowering behind the desk.  
"It's not entirely our fault. You see we ended up having to pull an all-nighter _on top_ of an already double shift because our relief _never_ showed up" Bin added trying to save himself.  
Eager to be on her way Raiku decided the quickest way to remedy the situation was with leniency.  
"Fine, I'll let it go this _once_ since there were factors involved that you couldn't control. _However_ , your performance on the job better improve by the time I return from my mission. Such a horrendous display of _negligence_ for public safety, _poor_ judgment, and _unprofessionalism_ will NOT be tolerated in the future, Understood? Now get back to work. Miku lead on."

As soon as Team 17 was beyond earshot, Michi asked his fellow guard "Did you know Raiku-hime was leaving on a mission today?"  
Bin gave his partner a look that screamed you just asked a dumb question. "Would I have let myself _fall asleep_ had I known that?"  
The semi-sarcastic tone got the point across better than the words themselves.  
"Good point. And what was she doing over _here_ anyway? I thought she hated using the guys side exit."  
Bin shrugged. "So did I. Goes to show there's a first time for everything. I wonder where they're going."  
Michi jumped out of his chair excitedly. "As soon as some people come to switch with us let's go ask around and find out."  
Bin yawned in response to his friend's energy level. Just watching Michi made him feel more tired.  
"I'd rather go to bed. If you suddenly have all this energy why don't you find out and report what you find to me after I wake up."

While on the road Raiku explained how the main purpose of the mission was to aid Konoha with completing missions and protecting the Village should it happen to come under attack again. From what information the ninja princess could gather from her sources (which recently included Chino), the Village Hidden in the Leaves was threatened as much as two times a month. After explaining the situation at their destination the team leader moved on to the secondary objective of training with a sensei or other ninja while not on missions. Rinku couldn't wait to start 'training' and Raiku was quick to remind her that it wasn't _that_ kind of training but rather where you actually learn jutsu.

"I'd rather work on my _special_ techniques. There's a whole village full of _potential targets_ eagerly awaiting my arrival."  
Raiku tried to put more distance between her sister and herself.  
"I wouldn't count on _that_. They don't know who _we_ are and even if they did, they don't know _we're_ coming. And I want no more of your _disgusting_ _pervert talk_ for the duration of this trip. If you have nothing _PG_ rated to say, then don't say _anything_ to me at all. Or just don't talk in general. I would _prefer_ that instead."  
Rinku started whining about how her sister was being unfair and tried talking to Miku instead. Miku was also adamant about not wanting to hear anything that could even slightly _hint_ at perversion. Angry, Rinku decided to rant out loud to nobody in particular just for the sake talking and to fill up the silence.

A/N: A = Raiku, I = Rinku, M = Miku

(I) "You two are no fun. I wish _Chino_ was here. She would have _half listened_ to what I have to say, at least for a while."

(A) "Yeah, and then she floods her mind with the thoughts of nearby birds to protect herself from your _perverted dirty mouth_."

(I) "If she _does_ it's because you told her to do that so I don't ' _corrupt'_ her. She's not as innocent as you think."

(M) "I believe Chino-chan half listens to everyone to be fair, not just your sister."

(I) " _Wait you think so too_?"

(A) "Especially Rinku then."

(I) " _ME_? What about _you_? Most of the time you're yelling at Chino for something or barking out orders."

(A) "I don't bark. Only mangy _dogs_ do that."

(I) "Fine, me-ow out orders."

(A) "That's not funny, appropriate, or true!"

(M) " _Please_ stop fighting. We can just ask her when we get to Konoha."

(I) "Fine, whatever."

(A) "I intend too."

(M) "Good. At least we can all finally agree on something."

Both sisters agreed with their teammate and stopped arguing for all of about an hour. Then Rinku brought up how the Kusannagi clan had been experimenting with wind chakra to develop Sound techniques as counter measures against Orochimaru's village. By now she expected a jutsu was developed to block the sound of a person's voice, and Chino probably was using it so she wouldn't have to listen to Raiku anymore. Miku wondered if it was true and if the bird handler had such a thing then she planned on trying to figure out how to use a variant as well. Such a jutsu would be very helpful for occasions like these. Hopefully such a technique could be replicated without the wind chakra nature.  
(*Miku's main chakra nature is water.*)

Rinku again caused trouble later during the journey by ignoring Raiku's ' _Thou shall not use non-PG rated language whilst traveling_ ' commandment. This time it was because of her babbling about how she planned on going about finding her new prey and what she wanted to do with them once she captured them.  
Raiku started chanting "I can't hear _you_. I can't hear _you_. **_LA_** **LA** ** _LA_** **LA** ** _LA_** " repeatedly to drown out her sister's words while covering her ears with her hands.  
Acting a little more practical than their leader, Miku discreetly took out a set of earplugs she had earlier forgotten she was carrying, and then placed them in her ears. Then she proceeded to bury her face in a map and waited for the feeling of sound vibrations to die down. To keep everyone distracted the mind jutsu specialist would randomly call out directions as if she was some kind of GPS. Chino usually referred to this behavior as the girl's MNS or, Miku Navigational System, mode.

Eventually the younger Senju ceased talking about what the leader referred to as 'upsetting things', which prompted Raiku to start running through the list of RULES. These rules were pretty much the same every mission with a few alterations or add-ons to make them specific to the mission at hand. Some rules never changed: Rinku must stay 3 ft (about 1 meter) from Raiku at all times, All of Rinku's "special toys" must be out of sight at all times, Women and Children must not be harmed unless justly proven as criminals [or evil], Perverts are meant to be harmed and killed when necessary, Akatsuki members and other S-ranked criminals are enemies to be Fought NOT Pets to be brought home, etc., etc. About every hour on the hour Raiku reiterated the rules until either of the other two members of Team 17 could have parroted them back verbatim.  
The only thing that stopped this routine was Miku's announcement "According to the map, Konohagakure should be coming into view any minute now."

* * *

 

The three ninja took their regular positions on either side of their leader, but slightly behind her. Rinku held a less reputable spot in Raiku's mind so her sister was usually on her left which also put the younger Senju on the right side of any forward advancing attacker. With Miku to Raiku's right side and therefore any attacker's left, put her in the more protected position since it was easier for Raiku to guard the side of her dominant hand. Also, as most shinobi are right handed and any advancing attackers tended to veer off toward their dominant side this would force them to the right of the formation. Strategy wise, being near an enemy's less dominant hand was best for a Genjutsu specialist since physically their taijutsu skills would be weaker.

Anyway, as usual, Raiku was in a power stance and walking with a confident stride as soon as the Village Hidden in the Leaves came into view. Anticipation caused Rinku's steps to become lighter as she was practically walking on air from pure joy. [Which was about the only thing pure about her at the moment.] Her desire to find new prey far outweighed any sense of caution the weapon specialist should have had. Even though Konoha was connected to the Village of the Amazons, Team 17's Village was still mainly a secret so they had to be on guard in case they were mistaken for enemies. This counted double now since Raiku 'neglected' to inform Konoha of her Team's arrival. More like accidently on purpose the ninja princess 'forgot' to tell her Aunt she was coming so Tsunade couldn't refuse their help. Once the group arrived Raiku was sure the Team wouldn't be turned away.

Currently, Rinku was in charge of scanning her side of the formation for any signs of danger unless Raiku gestured to a specific area by pointing to the spot in question. Miku was in charge of scanning her side of the group. Her version of scanning was more like searching for the slightest hint of a ninja's chakra rather than actually looking with her eyes like Rinku was. At the same as she was scanning the area, Miku was also using a hard to detect Genjutsu that made her footfalls almost undetectable to a human ear. Although her clothes weren't as earth toned as her bird using ANBU friend, the Genjutsu user was very good at camouflaging herself. A Zen-like calm surrounded her that came from years of practice, meditation, and training. She was also so in tuned with nature that Miku was almost invisible, a skill Shino seemed, to his own displeasure, possess naturally. Out of the three kunoichi Miku was the only one attempting to mask her presence. Raiku practically dared enemies to attack her based on her way of walking and general physical display. Rinku was too excited to give a damn if she was spotted or not since this would mean she would have first dibs on whoever approached, especially if that someone was male.

Around this time, Chino was waiting for Team 17's entrance into the Village, having known about their approach for over an hour but keeping her mouth shut about it. Earlier she had debated over whether or not to greet her friends at the gate, but ultimately decided against it. Watching Raiku muscle her way in, Rinku jump the first attractive man she saw, and Miku pretending to some kind of martyr was way too much to resist. However, she did warn Shino to steer clear of the Village Gate and Hokage building, just to be sure he wouldn't give himself away as Chino's boyfriend the second he heard the newcomers were from her home village. As an Amazonian woman, she had a duty to keep her boyfriend safe from unnecessary bodily harm. At first Shino tried to get her reasoning out of Chino but she avoided the subject by suggesting it was a test of love. For whatever reason, the bug handler accepted the explanation for now.

Another factor affecting Chino's decision to keep her distance was today was her day off. She had just finished a lengthy mission and didn't feel like taking additional orders right away. It wasn't a hard mission and it didn't take her out of Konoha, but if Iruka sensei had his way Chino would be banned from the Ninja Academy grounds for life. After getting lectured and yelled at by the irate Chunin sensei Chino wasn't ready for Raiku's screaming just yet. On top of all those reasons, the Amazonian ANBU was fairly sure Raiku didn't know Chino wasn't out of the Village on a mission. For now she would enjoy a last taste of freedom from her princess's orders by using her kekkei genkai to watch the scene unfold.

Bribing local birds with food had finally paid off because her new feathered friends were strategically placed along the route entering Konohagakure. Using a bird that was still in the forest, Chino could see the three kunoichi coming up on the Village entrance.  
' _Well now, here comes trouble, in the form of unannounced volatile kunoichi. I see Rinku changed her hair color again._ No _surprise there. Blue hair looks good on her. Bit of an_ odd _shade though. She's also in violation of_ several _of Raiku's decency rules in the ways she's dressing, besides the excessive amount of fishnet material, as usual. Speaking of Raiku, she looks like she's trying to intimidate_ _everything_ _around her. Miku followed the decency rules. No surprise there either. Conservatively dressed as ever the pair of them. Rinku's on visual scanning duty and Miku's definitely in charge of searching for chakra. And_ _nobody_ _has noticed they're coming, this is gonna be good. Guards_ here _seem to be as_ effective _as_ _Bin_ _and_ _Michi_ _are back_ home.'  
Then as Chino switched to another bird a little closer to the entrance for a better perspective she added ' _Scratch that, the cloud watcher stopped looking up at the sky long enough to notice them. Time to move in even closer and I know just the little bird to do it_.'

A small baby bird landed on the gate guards' desk and started pecking at a food wrapper. Before borrowing the little one's vantage point, Chino warned her little spy to back out if things got scary/dangerous. Knowing Team 17 as well as she did the Kusannagi clan member was sure this was a definite possibility.

"Are you hungry little guy? Is this what you want?" Kotetsu asked the baby bird as he gave it some of the bread.  
" **Hey**! That's part of my _lunch_!" Izumo said while trying to get the rest of the bread.  
"As the saying goes, _the early bird gets the bread_ " Kotetsu teased his guarding partner.  
"That's not very funny and it's gets the _worm_ NOT my _bread_."  
While the two gate guards continued arguing, Shikamaru jumped down from the rooftop he had been sitting on and landed near the gate.  
"You two are _useless_. Did you ever consider doing your job was more important than feeding the wildlife? Don't bother getting up I'll handle _them_."

Both guards stared at the teen.  
" _Them who_?" they chorused.  
Shikamaru gestured toward the three kunoichi approaching the entrance to the Village.  
"If you weren't so busy arguing over bread you would have noticed them. _Troublesome_."  
Shikamaru continued to grumble to himself as he walked over to the young women. The baby bird couldn't hear what was being said between Kotetsu's baby talk and Izumo's attempts to shoo it away, but he made sure to keep his eyes on the group. He didn't want to let his new human friend or her hawk partner he started referring to as his big brother. Due to the idiots distractions Chino was slightly annoyed she couldn't hear the conversation, but Miku would probably fill her in as soon as she had the chance to talk with her.

* * *

 

She watched as Miku pointed out the teen to her Team leader. Immediately Raiku seemed to be demanding something of the Nara before Shikamaru could even ask a question. Her harsh look meant the ninja princess meant business and gave off an air suggesting the approaching ninja was the trespasser and not the other way around. Chino wondered how long it would take the leader of Team 17 to realize she didn't own the place. Although his back was toward the ANBU, the kunoichi could see Rinku's attempt at flirting with the boy in a way that suggested he must have given some kind of response to Raiku's demand. Raiku scowling and shaking her head was also a dead giveaway that her sister must have been trying to hit on Shikamaru. The team leader then continued to argue with the boy and gesture angrily while Miku tried to intervene. Her pleading expression was something Chino could always spot but she didn't think now was a time when the peacemaker role would be effective.

Her guess was obviously correct as she saw Raiku cut off Miku every time she spoke. Chino guessed she was trying to reason with her leader but the ninja princess wasn't interested. After some back and forth, the older Senju took up a power stance and edged closer to the Konoha shinobi, followed by some kind of comment from Rinku. The statement must have been innocent enough, well innocent for Rinku, since Raiku didn't divert her attention from her sister. Instead she directed an order to Miku who tried to protest, judging from her body language. Raiku raised her hand to silence her teammate without looking directly at her. Whatever Miku had suggested must have been rejected because Miku sighed heavily and started making hand signs.

By now Shikamaru had shifted his position enough that he had turned toward Miku somewhat. A shocked expression crossed the usually calm boy's face and he seemed to be at a loss for words. The Genjutsu specialist of Team 17 must have used her family's special Hidden Jutsu that allows her to read the abilities of her opponent. At least that was the only jutsu Chino could come up with that could confuse Shikamaru but leave him unharmed and still standing. After hearing what had to be Miku's summary of the shinobi's fighting style and jutsu Raiku diverted her attention from the stunned person before long enough to address her sister. Rinku's sudden mischievous salute could mean only one thing. She had been given permission to fight.

Chino watched in amusement through the bird's eyes as Shikamaru tried to catch the other two kunoichi with his ' _ShadowPossessionJutsu_ ' as they went to walk past him. They easily dodged by simply jumping out of the way. As the remaining two kunoichi continued on through the gateway Miku made a slight bow and a short apology to the guards before following her leader. Raiku opted for turning her nose up at the guards and proudly marching past them. If one didn't know better one would think the male shinobi were at fault in this scenario rather than the other way around. Not caring where the rest of her team went Rinku attacked Shikamaru while he was still distracted by the retreat of the others through the gate. The two continued uninterrupted until they were in front of the guard booth.

"Little … help … here" Shikamaru groaned at the two gate guards who were watching him struggle to entangle himself from Rinku.  
Normally he was the one entangling his opponents with his shadow jutsu so this was quite the unusual situation for him, leaving him in a bit of a disadvantage. His opponent on the other hand loved to get up close and personal with her targets so she was actually enjoying herself.

"You said you could handle them" Kotetsu responded.  
"Yeah, you're doing fine" Izumo added.  
Shikamaru partially managed to free himself when the younger Senju contributed with her commentary.  
"Hey there, this isn't going to be exciting for me if you're more interested in men."  
The other combatant froze at the accusation. "I am not!" Shikamaru yelled at her indignantly.  
"Then prove it. Leave those guys and come over here with me cutie" Rinku half taunted, half purred.  
Fearing the fight would continue to get more violent, Chino urged the baby bird to leave before it could get hurt. Job done and a little nervous, the bird agreed and flew off.

In the meantime, Chino switched to another bird to see what Raiku and Miku were up to now. The remaining members of Team 17 seemed to be involved in an argument. No doubt it was about Raiku's decision to leave her sister behind to fight with Shikamaru and whether or it was necessary to use Miku's ability reading jutsu. Then Chino saw the team leader stop mid-sentence as Neji Hyuga came into view. From her location at a safe distance the bird handler chuckled to see the similarity in hairstyle between the ninja princess and the Hyuga branch member. If their hair coloring was the same the two would have matched.

' _Her first time seeing a man from this village with long hair, this should be_ good _. She's_ _not_ _used to_ women _having hair as long or longer than hers, forget a_ male.'  
There was silence between the shinobi as Raiku and Neji appeared to be having some kind of staring contest. A sudden gust of wind passing through the middle of the trio was the only thing to disrupt the misleading peace.  
' _And now they're fighting over_ hair length _. I'm surprised a Hyuga is willing to fight over something so petty. Wait now he's bowing, that's more like the Hyuga I know. And Raiku's trying to ruin it by making Miku check him with her ability reading jutsu. Wait ….She's …._ _smirking_ _? Get in closer I want to know why Raiku's smirking_.'

The bird did as it was asked and moved to a branch right above Neji's head.

"Raiku is this really _necessary_? He didn't do _anything_ and we have other things to accomplish today you know" Miku pleaded with the Team's leader and it seemed to be working this time.  
Raiku was ignoring the boy and considering their objective until the boy spoke.  
"Are you in need of assistance? It seems the two of you have gotten separated from your teams."  
Poor Miku went into panic attack mode and shook her head rapidly trying to get him to stop.  
"You two must be anxious to get help. I could direct you to the Hokage. Then you can relax while we get your teammates back for you."  
Raiku got increasingly angry and was quickly losing her temper. The Hyuga didn't get the hint and continued to dig himself into a deeper hole.  
"You did the right thing to come for help. Soon you will be able to recover from your ordeal while some of our teams take care of it. All of your male members are gone and you're quite vulnerable in this state."

Miku was trying even harder to get Neji to run away as fast as he can. Yet again Neji got himself into more trouble by talking about how women needed men to keep them from harm. Not the best choice of words to use in front of an Amazonian kunoichi, especially an enemy of all condescending or patronizing men like Raiku Senju. Something in Raiku snapped and she gave Miku her pack.  
Then came the order: "Go on Miku."  
Chino watched as Miku shook her head and continued on without Raiku.

' _Here it comes. You might want to move back my little friend. She tends to get_ _violent_ _when insulted. Not that Neji can tell he said_ anything _remotely insulting based on the_ weakness _of the kunoichi around_ _here_ _. Ready …. 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1, and there she goes challenging Neji._ Aw _, he's trying to be a_ gentleman _by refusing to fight a woman. Chivalry is_ _not_ _going to save him from_ Raiku-hime's _fury. Starting off with her signature technique I see. Leave it to our princess to fight with hair. Poor boy that long braid of hers wrapped around his neck is infused with_ _chakra_ _. It's_ _not_ _going to be easy to get off. And the Byakugan is_ _not_ _going to be of much help in_ this _fight_.'

Chino watched the two combatants for a while since she was interested in how the Hyuga would handle this. It was obvious he wasn't used to fighting women by his slight hesitation before striking his opponent. Neji was trying to avoid the young woman's chest which is where he would typically aim for on a man, and appeared unsure of where to hit as an alternative. There was no point in trying to shut down her chakra points as he either couldn't get close enough to them or they were blocked by hair. Any time the male shinobi could get far enough away to hurl kunai they were stopped short of their target by Raiku's wind chakra or her own kunai. Such opportunities were few and far between as the older Senju was mainly a close combat taijutsu user. ( _Ironic considering she_ _hated_ _to be touched, especially by any male_.) A large part of the battle looked like some kind of bizarre cross between deranged wrestling match and odd circus acrobatics act.

The distant onlooker viewing the battle through the vision of a bird was in awe of how other ninjas simply walked around the fight without showing a hint of unease. At the Amazon Village this was normal, but in Konoha, not so much. Since Neji was fighting an outsider you would think it would be cause for concern, but no one seemed to care. Considering Neji was not the type to fight without reason and less likely to attack a kunoichi out of the blue one would think at least one person would be worried. Not one ninja or villager for that matter made the slightest attempt to ask what was going on or intervene in any way. A reason why Konoha could be in such distress in the security department started to make a little more sense for Chino.

Now Chino was starting to feel apprehensive for Miku's safety. The former ANBU member would now look suspicious wandering around staring at everything trying to find the Hokage's office. With any luck the shinobi in that area would be as disinterested in her presence as they were with the scene Raiku created. She dismissed the bird she was using and focused on other birds until she found one who could see her lost countrywoman. For a few brief moments the bird handler considered sending Taka to guide her but then she saw Lee coming toward her. Generally speaking he was a nice guy with good intentions even if he had a tendency to get a little over zealous and go overboard with his help. He had a strong respect for women and anyone in need of assistance so hopefully he would be willing to help. That is if he wasn't too focused on his unusual training method to notice Miku staring at him. At the moment, Lee was walking on his hands throughout the Village and seemed very intent on doing that for the rest of the day as he had been doing for two hours already.

Miku's staring must have gotten his attention because the spandex wearing ninja returned to walking normally and approached the kunoichi. Since the final member of Team 17 was more apt to take the diplomatic route then the kick ass first ask questions later method, Chino was fairly reassured Miku would simply ask for directions rather than beat them out of the teen. Being a mind jutsu user with weak taijutsu, the exact opposite of her teammates, may contribute to this difference of opinions. Lee was too trusting for his own good by politely introducing himself to the stranger and offering assistance. Seeing the forehead protector of Konoha might have been the reason, but making sure someone isn't an imposter first probably would have been the better plan.

The bird handler couldn't hear what Miku said in response to Lee's offer because of how low and whispery it was. However it must have been diplomatic and friendly as Chino suspected because Raiku wasn't around to stop her from doing otherwise. Because of Lee's lack of volume control Chino could hear him and understand the situation.  
"Then I shall take you there if you do not mind me as a guide that is. As a Hidden Leaf ninja I am well acquainted with the office of the Hokage."  
The ANBU observer wondered if Miku's job as Team navigator contributed to her ability to ask for directions when she needed them rather than stubbornly refuse to admit she was lost like Raiku and Rinku often did. Or maybe she just didn't want to waste precious time wandering. Either way it fit with the girl's personality.

' _At least she's in good_ _hands_ ' Chino thought as she watched Lee walk off with a blushing Miku.  
The Kusannagi giggled at her compatriot's blushing face and way she referred to her guide as Lee-kun. Her friend wasn't usually quick to respond to compliments or flattery without reading someone's mind to detect falseness or ulterior motives. Lee was too honest to try something of the sort and she must have picked up on that already. It was also out of character for Miku to address someone she just met with an honorific of anything other than san. Chino couldn't wait to ask if the unconscious slip was truly an indication of the beginnings of affection for this ninja.  
 _'Her taste in men is somewhat questionable but I guess I'm_ not _one to talk. I'm dating the vessel of a_ _bug hive_ _. Anyone back home would think I must be crazy to think a relationship between a_ Kusannagi  _and an_ Aburame _is going to work out_.'

After making her mental note to confront Miku about her impressions of Lee, Chino dismissed the current bird she was using. Taka then reported how he had heard through some of the other birds about an update on the two fighting pairs she was watching earlier. Both the Rinku/Shikamaru battle and the Raiku/Neji clash were slowly making their way toward the Hokage's office as well.  
' _This is going to be_ fun _when they_ ** _all_** _get there at the_ same time _. I_ ** _don't_** _want to miss that train wreck. Tsunade is going to be in for a surprise. Trouble's coming your way Hokage-sama and I hope you can handle it. Taka, I think it's time we get closer for a better view. Make sure to mask your chakra I_ ** _don't_** _want to give away our presence in Konoha just_ yet.'

And so Chino and her hawk partner sneaked off to the Hokage's office taking extra precautions against Miku's abilities picking them up and ruining the fun.

 


End file.
